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A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



COPYRIGHTED, 1888, 
BY PERRY S. HEATH. 



PRESS OF THE 
liOKBORN PUBLISHING COMPANY. 



A H00S1ER IN RUSSIA. 



THE ONLY WHITE TSAR-HIS IMPERIALISM, 
COUNTRY AND PEOPLE. 




/ 



By Pkrry S. Hkath. 



FULLY ILLUSTRATED. 




THE LORBORN PUBLISHING COMPANY. 

NEW YORK, BALTIMORE, CHICAGO. 



1883. 



PREFACE. 

In the compilation of this little volume I have avoided tedious 
and tiresome descriptions of palaces and places, such as are customary 
in books of travel. I have also abstained as far as possible from the 
use of foreign words, which are meaningless to most readers. There 
have been few references to guide-books and histories, the aim being 
to give plain, practical descriptions of things seen by the writer. Be- 
lieving that few readers care for my individual opinions upon the cus- 
toms and laws of the country, I have attempted to refrain from incor- 
porating herein expression of my own sentiment, although it must 
necessarily be found to a greater or less extent in a work where the 
personal pronoun is employed. 

The intention has been to tell, in a natural way, what I saw in a 
summer's travel through a remarkable country, among a strange and 
interesting people — a story such as one would narrate from his lips to 
a friend, without any effort to literary merit, and with the view con- 
stantly before me of giving the reader a clear idea of Russia, her 
people, their customs, the oppressions they bear and the pleasures 
they indulge in ; so that they will be retained in the mind, and not 
forgotten in an attempt to charge the memory with the technicalities 
of history and description and the butterflies of poetry. 

To Mr. Charles E. Sickels, the directing artist of the Lorborn 
Publishing Company, the credit for the artistic effect is due. His 
faithful illustrations were largely conceived from the descriptions con- 
tained in the body-matter, together with his personal knowledge of 

Russian character. 

The; Author. 

Mitncic, Ind., August, 1888. 



\ 









CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Difficulties Encountered on the Frontier— Examination of Passports and Baggage— Offici- 
ousness of Customs Officers, Gendarmes and Soldiers— Duties of the Censor, and How 
They Are Performed— Suspicious of All Printed Matter : Rifling Books— Hatred of En- 
glishmen— The Black List— An Introduction to Chic, the Popular Beverage— The He- 
brew Money- Changers— Some Characteristics of Frontier Life 1 

CHAPTER II. 

An American's First Impression of the Country: A Topographical Description— Russian 
Railroads, and How They Are Conducted— An Experience With the Native Tongue— 
The Drosky : Its Driver and Its Sensations— Warsaw, the Capital of Poland— A Linen- 
Duster and the Commotion it Caused at a Railway Station— Running the Gauntlet a 
Second Time— Russians Do Not Speak English II 

CHAPTER III. 

St. Petersburg, " The Tsar's Window," Capital of the Empire : Description of the City, Her 
People and Their Institutions— Life in the Hotels, the Palaces and the Hovels— Natives 
Not Necessarily Linguists — A Night at the Summer Garden and the Winter Theater— Di- 
versity of Race— The Cossack, the Revolutionist, and the Nihilist 33' 

CHAPTER IV. 

Russia's Dungeon : The Fortress, the Most Dreaded and Interesting Place in the Empire — 
Why Russians Are Nihilists : How They Are Suspected, Apprehended, Given Trial,. 
Sentenced, and Exiled— The Detective System, and Despicable Practices of the Gend- 
armes—Education Leads to Revolution, Nihilism— The Empire's Universities, and 
Outbreaks of the Pupils — House of Preventive Detention — Surveillance Upon 
Strangers— Native Thieves, and Some of Their Exploits . 30 

CHAPTER V. 

Two Supreme Personages— Imperiousness : The Unlimited Power of the Tsar and Prefect 
of Police— Peterhof, the Home of the Tsar— How Laws Are Made and Enforced— Ab- 
sence of the Habeas Corpus and Other Common Forms of Law and Justice— A Modern 
Court and Lawyer— Trial by Court-Martial— An Illumination in Honor of the Tsar- 
ina's Birthday— Life Guards of the Tsar : Their Immunity from Punishment for Crime 30 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Winter Pa Lace- Its Unlimited Treasures and Grandeur— The Hermitage : A Glimpse 
at its Contents— Greatest Diamond in the World, and Other Precious Stones— Followed 
by Detectives— Russian Art— The Empire's Church and Her Monks— Street-Paving in 
St. Petersburg : The Part Women Take in This Work 41 

CHAPTER VII. 

A Popular Coachman : His Characteristics and Life— Ignorance and Illiteracy—" Much 
Ado About Nothing: " An Encounter With the Gendarmes— The Censor of the Press : 
Piebald Foreign Publications : Why There Are No Local Newspapers— The Tobac Fab- 
ricker: A Box of One Cigar : Evading Internal Taxes— John's Counting-Machine, and 
the Part it Plays in Commerce— Tax Collectors and Their Remarkable License .... 47 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Muscovite Sports— Big Game, and Plenty of It— A Hunt for Wolf Scalps at Thirty Copecks 
Apiece: Many Killed, But Few Secured— The Danger Incident to Russian Gun- 
ning 56 

CHAPTER IX. 

Winter in St. Petersburg : Rare Frigidity, and Precautions Taken Against its Dangers— 
tJH How the Natives Enjoy the Cold Months— Horse Racing on the Ice— Securing a Water 
Supnly Under Difficulties— The Caucasian Garbage-Man— Street Scenes in Spring- 
Time— Rural Hardships in the Winter 62 

CHAPTER X. 

Life Among the Peasants— Serf s : Their Present Condition, ami That of Their Recent 
Slavery— Landlords and Rulers Stand Together— Primitive Farming: The Absence of 
Agricultural Machinery and Improved Implements— Harvesting Crops— Educational 
Facilities— The Throne Opposed to the Education of Poor People, Especially Peasants 67 

CHAPTER XI. 

Village and Commune Life— The Mir, and Its Limited Self -Government— Functions of i he 
Governor-General, and His Performance of Them— Rudiments of Political Economy- 
Relations of the Church to the People and the Government : You Pay Your Money, 
But Have No Choice 72 

CHAPTER XII. 

Thieves 1 Market : Honor Among Thieves Unknown— A Sunday Morning in the Rogues' 
Market at St. Petersburg— Tradition Concerning Thieves, and Witchcraft as an Aid to 
Crime Detection— Some Incidents of Adroitness 76 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Army and Navy— More About the Cossacks : Their Mode of Living and the Terrorism 
Attaching to Them— Strength of the Tsar's Military and Naval Forces— Their Expense 
and Commands— Sham Battles on a Realistic Scale— Sufferings of the Soldiery in Winter 
Encampment— The Crimean War : Balaklava Charge Described by an Eye Witness . . 82 



CHAPTER XIV. 

From St. Petersburg- to Moscow, the Old Capital—Difficulties in Securing a Berth in the 
Wagon Lit— Desolate Scenery and Lovely Homes— Country Places of the Noblemen- 
Architecture in the Past and Present— The Slavainski Bazaar, and Its Patrons .... 91 

CHAPTER XV. 

Moscow Compared With St. Petersburg— The Kremlin, and Its Stores of Treasures and In- 
teresting Superstitions— The Great Bell of Moscow: Its Checkered Career— The 
Churches : Napoleon's Occupation of Them as Barracks— A Drop of Our Saviour's 
Blood— Zoological Gardens, Picture Galleries and the Riding School 96 

CHAPTER XVI. 

An Adventure Within the Kremlin : Suspected of Being a Nihilist— Shrines the Staple Ar- 
ticle of Trade— Versatile Shopkeepers and Manufacturers— Street-Car Service: Its 
Cumbersome Character— Promiscuous Osculations of the Natives— The Latch-String 
Removed— Expensive and Troublesome Passport System— In the Shop Quarters : What 
One Sees and Buys There— Niijiii Novgorod, and the National Fair 101 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Holidays : Their Universal Observance— Festivities Which Occupy Nearly Half the Year- 
Gifts and Hospitalities— Illuminations and Religious Ceremonies— Fortunes Expended 
on a Night's Entertainment 106 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Courtship and Mari'iage— Ambassadors for Wooing— Negotiating for a Wife— Whitsun- 
Monday: "Day for Choosing Brides "—Mammon Against Cupid— Ceremonies at the 
Altar and Celebrations at Home — A Marriage at Midnight— Pretty Russian Girls . . .112 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Funerals, and the Superstitions Surrounding Them— Reverence for the Dead— Iron Coffins 
and Ostentatious Floral Displays— The Part Played by the Clergy—'* A Passport for the 
Dead"— Queer Announcements of Demise— Comparisons With Obsequies in Other 
European Countries 116 

CHAPTER XX. 

Off to Siberia— The Exile's Last Look at Moscow— Scenes and Incidents En Route to 
Exile— Across the Boundary-Line Between Europe and Asia— Appearance of Prison- 
ers—Final Parting With Friends— Siberia : Its Physical Characteristics and Its Devel- 
opment—Sympathy of the Soldiery With Nihilism— How the Exiles Employ Their 
Spare Time 123 

CHAPTER XXI. 

St. Petersburg Markets : The Table Staples : Caviar as a Relish and an Article of Food— 
Strange-Looking Vegetables— Hot-House Fruits from the Crimea— Fish Alive and 
Frozen— Scarcity of Native Meats— Continental Markets Generally— How Produce is 
Disposed of in Vienna and Dresden— Sickening Scenes in the Markets at Rome— The 
Butcher in the Pulpit— Fish and Vegetable Markets in Venice, London and Paris . .128 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Moving Day : The Headpad Instead of the Express Wagon— Remarkable Simplicity and 
Endurance— Men as Beasts of Burden— Street Scenes on Moving Days in Naples, Ge- 
noa and in the Alps of Switzerland— Utilizing Cow and Donkey Force— Severe Tests 
of Italian Mules , 133- 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

A Visit to the Home of the World-Renowned Nihilist, in London— Nihilism Defended by 
Stepniak— A Demand for Education, Free Speech and a Free Press—" Liberty Won by 
Assassination ! "—The Killing of Tsars a Part of the Campaign for a Constitutional 
Form of Government— Nihilists Atheists 13& 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Other Side : Defense of the Political Status of Russia by Count d'Arnaud— Why a 
Constitutional Form of Government is Impossible— The Different Races in the Rus- 
sian Empire and Their Diversified Interests — Alexander III. as a Philanthropist— Exile 
to Siberia More Humane Than Capital Punishment or British Exportation— An Ex- 
planation of the Passport and Spy Systems, and Why They Are Essential 146 




A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



CHAPTER I. 



An American will never forget the strange sensation which pos- 
sesses him as he crosses the frontier and enters Russia. 

There is something in the very atmosphere telling him he 
has reached the border-line of the realms of the Tsar the moment he 
approaches it. Unlike any other portion of Continental Europe, a 
cordon of gendarmes, mounted Cossacks and cavalrymen guard the 
entrance to Russia, and exclude all who do not pass the scrutiny of 
the diplomatic and customs officers, as certainly as though the countty 
were enclosed by a stone-wall mountain high. 

As the train from Vienna, Berlin, or an} T of the other cities con- 
tiguous to the Tsar's domain, approaches the frontier the passengers 
are seized with a nervousness amounting to little less than fear. 

They have their passports in hand, and families huddle together 
like flocks of frightened lambs. Frequently a father or mother, 



8 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

brother or sister, in alighting from the train shows traces of anxiety 
that are painful. Especially are the English and German people 
possessed of unusual trepidation. The reason is manifest: there is 
more than a possibility that they may be taken into custody by the 
officers and hurried away from each other, never to meet again. 

The moment the train stops a buzz of voices is heard ; a rattle 
of spurs and a din of sabers clinking. A swarm of officers flock 
about the carriages. The doors to each compartment are hastily 
opened, and harsh voices scream in various languages — 

' ' Frontier ! ' ' 

The minor officials are dressed in light gray suits, with dark, 
heavy braid. Those next in rank have white canvas coats, and in- 
stead of dark canvas caps those of a little larger pattern and white 
material. The gendarme in command is decked in pure white. On 
his shoulders are great epaulets, with an abundance of gold braid. 

There is an alarming display of side-arms. They begin with 
sabers of extraordinary length, and so hitched on the belts that every 
time a step is made the end of the scabbard strikes the floor and keeps 
tip-tap time with the tread of the wearer. In the belt is a powerful 
holster and cartridge-box, and oftentimes a dagger. All wear high- 
top boots, into which are tucked their pantaloon-legs. The officers 
run at their work with stentorian exclamations. 

The flinging open of carriage-doors is immediately followed by 
the gendarme in command, who snatches the passports from the pas- 
sengers, and frightens them, especially if they be timid men or inex- 
perienced women, beyond measure. I have seen women thrown almost 
into hysterics upon crossing the frontier because of the excitement. 

On the heels of the military or police officers come the custom- 
house lackeys. Without a word they rush into the compartment, and 
jerking the passengers' parcels from the racks, command every one to 
alight and enter the official quarters, which are little less than an out- 
post house of detention. 

The fastest trains entering Russia are detained at least two hours 
on the frontier for the examination of passports and baggage ; yet the 
officers go about their work as though there were but fifteen minutes 
within which to do it. 

All of the railway stations are similar in general and external 
arrangement. They were built on the same architectural designs. 
They are wooden structures, about sixty feet wide and from one hun- 
dred and fifty to three hundred feet in length. All are one-story high, 



CROSSING THK FRONTIER. 9. 

and along the side next the track runs a platformiwhich is frequently 
covered with planking. 

The atmosphere of the general arrangements in the customs offi- 
cers' rooms is not different from that found on other frontiers, but the 
procedure of the officers bears no resemblance to that elsewhere. 
There is no consideration for the passenger's sensibilities. The mo- 
ment he enters the large room where the baggage is examined, he is 
told to stand there ; and the language employed in delivering this com- 
mand is neither mild nor courteous. Sometimes he waits but ten 
minutes before he sees his luggage thrown on the great counter, and 
is asked to produce the keys, that the officer may make examination. 
But it may be that he will stand two hours without the least knowl- 
edge of when his irksome wait will end. 

Having passed through a score or more custom-houses in other 
countries during the last two months, I offered, r as usual, to assist the 
officer in his examination of my effects ; but the instant I put my 
hands in the satchels to empty them and display|my possessions the 
officer placed the palm of his good right hand~against r my breast and 
pushed me back. It was a hint that he was capable of performing 
the official act without help or suggestion. I had heard of the diffi- 
culty of entering Russia before I left Vienna, and sent my trunks 
from that city to be stored in Paris, as I wanted as little baggage for 
inspection on the Russian frontier as possible. 

The officer hastily pulled from the satchels pantaloons, and turn- 
ing the pockets inside out, and in one or two instances the legs, 
dropped them on the floor. He squeezed envelopes, in which there 
was nothing but private correspondence, into crumpled k masses ; and 
socks which were turned one over the other were torn asunder and 
dropped on the counter or floor. Scarfs were pressed and opened 
with the closest scrutiny, for the purpose of seeing if there were any 
valuables secreted therein. A pair of slippers were hammered over 
the counter, and the greatest possible attention was given two or 
three memorandum books and novels. The latter were finally sent to 
the gendarme, who' had packed away from the station to his private 
quarters as soon as he had secured the passports of the passengers. 

After an investigation which appeared to be far more searching 
than was absolutely necessary, the officer, without saying a word, 
looked at me, threw up his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and walked 
away, indicating that he had finished his work, and that I could pick 
up the effects and repack them. An hour later the officer returned 
with the books he had taken from me. 



io A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

There is a very stringent high-tariff protective law in Russia 
which almost excludes the products of other countries ; but it was not 
for the purpose of ascertaining whether I had dutiable goods that 
there was all this extraordinary and superserviceable display. The 
laws against the dissemination of literature in Russia in opposition 
to its form of government must be enforced at all hazards ; and this 
was the primary object of the officers. 

The train on which I first entered Russia was not loaded with 
many passengers, and the examination of baggage, passports, etc., was 
concluded within a half hour ; but we were not permitted to emerge 
from the station under four hours. 

After I had repacked my satchels I carried them into an adjoining 
room, where were congregated in a buffet the most motley crowd I 
had ever seen. Elbowing each other about the lunch-counters, with 
glasses of steaming chic (Russian tea) in their hands, and munching 
great meat muffets, were Turks, Germans, Norwegians, Jews, Rus- 
sians, Austrians, Frenchmen, Greeks, Persians, Slavs, and represent- 
atives of almost every nationality except the American and the 
English. The American is a prime favorite in the country of the 
Tsar, but the Englishman is ostracized and despised. 

Instantly as I entered the buffet two great, powerful Jews 
approached .me. They were money-lenders, and in every feature 
resembled the creatures our Saviour turned out of the temple at Jeru- 
salem. One was probably eighty years old ; the other sixty. The 
first stood six and a-half feet in height; he had an enormously large 
head, the top of which was destitute of hirsute covering, and a full 
white beard quite two feet in length. His beak — it was not a nose — 
would have measured five inches, and the hump rivaled that on the 
camel's back; his ears were as large as my hand. His companion 
was almost his exact counterpart, except that he was twenty years 
younger, and his beard was black. 

These two men were attired in suits which were a fair compromise 
between the costume of the Russians and that of the Jews ; they wore 
long ulsters. In their hands the}' had great rolls of paper roubles. 
They were linguists, and after addressing me in four or five languages 
finally struck the English tongue. They solicited an exchange of 
money, for which they first asked five per cent, discount, and finally 
dropped to one per cent. They were good samples of the population 
which has flooded certain portions of Russia from the Holy Land. 
The Jews are a despised race in Russia, because their wits have made 
them rich and the people they have preyed upon extremely poor. 



EXAMINING PASSPORTS. 




Now 



After some time in 
this room I picked up 
my luggage and start- 
ed to emerge. At trie 
door three or four 
gendarmes presented 
themselves and com- 
manded me to remain where I was. 
It was a dreary hour that I spent 
there. Finally there was a great 
clatter on the outside ; a new din 
of spurs and swords, and another 
army of officers. The commandant 
had returned with the passports, 
which are too sacred to be intrusted 
the doors were opened and the passengers 
carriages and prepare for a continua- 



to a subordinate. 

were permitted to re-enter the 

tion of their railway journey. 

When we had taken our seats and readjusted our luggage, the offi- 
cer in charge re-entered our compartment, and to my great surprise 



12 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

recognized evety one from whom he had taken a passport, and, with- 
out error, handed back to each his papers. 

Fortunately I had taken the precaution before leaving Washing- 
ton to have my passport vised by the Russian minister, which saved 
me the trouble of applying for the countersign of an American min- 
ister or consul abroad. The best endorsement an American can se- 
cure on his passport in embarking for a trip to Russia is the signature 
of the Russian minister to the United States — if he can get it. 

There were others on the train who were not so fortunate as I. 

A couple of ladies and four or five men were detained. Two of 
the men, I subsequently learned, were suspected of having designs on 
the government, while the others had not procured the proper vise 
on their passports. 

One of the men detained was an Englishman, who had shown 
some officiousness in the customs officers' room during the inspect on 
of his baggage. He was from London, and carried with him two 
great leather trunks, which were dumped into the cage — a large com- 
partment surrounded by wire or lattice-work, in which technical ex- 
aminations of baggage are made — and he insisted upon following 
them. The officer pushed him back and demanded his keys. The 
Englishman produced them, and opened the trunks, in which was 
evidently nothing of objectionable character; but when the man saw 
his effects poured out on the floor he protested, and his objections 
caused him a detention from which I have often wondered how he 
extricated himself. 

A wise man never complains at the acts of a Russian officer. To 
complain leads to detention ; for the Russian officers are as suspicious 
as they are officious, and all stand in together and have such unlim- 
ited license that the stranger is completely at their mercy. If you 
want to growl, keep your mutterings to yourself and swear when you 
get back. 

A more complete black-list system could not be prepared than is 
found here. Every year the government issues a book for the use of 
its officers, in which are given the names of all persons, as far as can 
be obtained, from all parts of the world, who have ever by word or 
deed antagonized the Russian government or its forms or institutions. 
The first thing the officer does when he gets possession of the pass- 
port is to examine the black list and see if the name is recorded. If 
it is not, he then scrutinizes the form of the passport ; and if it is 
found correct and the vise is proper, the duties of that officer end and 



OFF FOR THE INTERIOR. 13 

those of the customs officer begin. Should the effects of the traveler 
be found passable by the customs officer, there is then no objection to 
an entrance into the country. 

Many of the passengers were deprived of reading matter. It is 
very unwise for a traveler to take with him into the Tsar's country 
any works of sentiment. If a book is found in his possession or a 
letter is discovered' on his person, in which there is any criticism of 
Russian institutions or comment made upon the laws or manners of 
the empire, or a constitutional form of government is suggested, the 
possessor is instantly suspected, detained, and possibly sent in exile 
to Siberia. 

Many of the Russian officers neither read nor speak English ; and 
if the color of the cover of a book or an illustration strikes them as 
unusual the volume is confiscated. 

I learned at the frontier that it was not safe to make a memo- 
randum of my travels, and trusted everything to memory, so far as 
the expression of facts or feelings was concerned. 

It was early in the morning when the frontier was reached, and 
almost noon when the station agent ran out of his office with a dinner 
bell in hand and began rushing up and down the long platform, ring- 
ing and yelling like mad, "Aboard!" 

After this exciting exercise had progressed a full minute, the 
engineer of the locomotive screamed out on the escape-pipe, the fire- 
man pulled the bell, the guardsmen blew their whistles ; there was a 
response from the baggageman ; the conductor, rigged like a Napo- 
leon, emerged from the station, and having heard the various signals, 
cautiously drew from his pocket a long metallic whistle and gave it 
two or three fierce blows. The train was now ready to start ; but it 
waited some seconds. There was a slight tinkle of the station agent's 
bell, a toot from the locomotive, little whistles from the guardsmen, a 
response from the baggage-car, and the corpulent conductor again 
drew forth his whistle and gave a shrill blast. 

Now the locomotive snorted and the train started. The agony 
was over — I was in Russia. 

Four hours in a dull, uninteresting border town had not particu- 
larly impressed me. 



CHAPTER II. 




There is no monotony in travel- 
ing through Russia. The character 
of the people and the conveyances 
offer variety enough for any one. 

As the train pulled away from 
Wierzbolow, the frontier inspec- 
tion-place, not only were the 
strangers to Russia thrilled with 
the surroundings, but also the 
natives. There were congratula- 
tions on every hand over the happy 
escape from the officials whose 
omciousness and disregard for per- 
sons nearly always ruffle one's feel- 
ings. The face of this portion of 
Russia is similar to that of Wiscon- 
sin, less the lakes and beautiful streams ; Northern Michigan, without 
her largest pine trees ; and New Mexico, with the absence of warmth. 
The pineries are stunted, the fields covered with wheat — in 
harvest during August or September — and the villages are of small 
wooden buildings, covered with straw. Nowhere is there architec- 
ture, taste or cleanliness displayed ; while everywhere may be seen 
barbarians, traces of ignorance and downright brutality. The ad- 
vancement of the country may be illustrated in the statement that, 
though Russia is one of the greatest in wheat producing, the cereal 
is sown broadcast, harvested with the sickle, threshed with the flail, 
and three-fourths of the work is done by women. The forests are 
infested with wolves and other wild animals ; the fields, when not 
carpeted with wheat, are covered with Jean-Marie, with a yellow 
rattle and a plume of blue leaves at the top. Mushrooms and all the 
fungi of a cold climate are seen ; and one's bewilderment increases 
as the slow train goes further and further into the empire. 

It was the first of August when I passed over this scope of coun- 
try, and the scenery, though primitive and in many respects familiar, 



RUSSIAN RAILWAYS. 15 

when compared to that of portions of the United States, was delici- 
ously refreshing and interesting. As the train rolled on from the 
frontier toward Warsaw, the Capital of Poland — now ruled by Rus- 
sia — and to St. Petersburg, the Capital of Russia, I could not drive 
from my mind the proverb : ' ' The gates of Russia are wide to those 
who enter, but narrow to those who would go out. ' ' 

The Poles are, in general character, like the Germans ; but the}^ 
are in some respects more enterprising. Their dties have many 
modern improvements, and in their factories and shops are found 
traces of the American inventive genius in the way of labor-saving 
machinery. Some of the older cities in Poland, and especially some 
of the little old towns, are quaint beyond description. 

There have been no improvements made in the railroads of Rus- 
sia, although their construction was begun more than a quarter of a 
century ago. They were built under contract for the government by 
Winans, a Baltimorean, who preferred railroad construction to partic- 
ipation in the American civil war. The parent lines were constructed 
in the form of a triangle from Warsaw to St. Petersburg ; thence to 
Moscow, and back to the Capital of Poland. There was a dispute 
among the civil engineers who were designated to survey the route of 
the road ; some of them insisting that the line should worm around 
in its course, so as to reach all of the cities and villages, which 
would make it circuitous. 

Finally there was a dead-lock, and the officers went to the Tsar 
for arbitrament. The Tsar was greatly perplexed over the situation. 
He saw the necessity of making the railroad lines traverse the 
thickly-populated sections of country and of reaching the trade 
marts. In the frenzy of the situation Alexander took a straight-edge 
rule, laid it down on the map, and drew a direct line from terminus 
to terminus, without any regard whatever to the face of the country, 
the population or the trade centers. The Emperor had decided, and 
his mandate was obeyed. 

This accounts for the absence of cities and villages along the 
railroad lines through old and well-improved portions of the country. 
Sometimes the traveler sees from the carriage dozens of little cities 
and hamlets before the train stops at one of them. Those in the 
distance range from one to ten miles from the track, and are old 
places. They were simply left out of consideration in the arbitrary 
determination of the route of the railroad, and the improvements 
were too valuable to warrant the impecunious population in moving 
up to the line. 



i6 



A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 



The Russian passenger carriages are a compromise between those 
in America and those in England as to length, and between France or 
Switzerland as regards arrangement. The} 7 are longer by one com- 
partment than the European carriages, yet internally are identical. 

But one wagon lit — sleeping car — is run between Vienna or Berlin 
and Warsaw. At the latter place international communication is cut 
off, the German and Austrian railroad companies not being permitted 
to run sleeping-cars or passenger coaches into the Russian Empire. 
There is nothing like international amity or comity with Russia. 
Everything must be Russian and for Russia. 

There are the first, second and third-class passenger carriages, 
the same as are found in other portions of Europe, and the consequent 







A RUSSIAN VIELAGE — EXCHANGE OE COMMODITIES. 



variations in rates of transportation. The speed is much less than in 
any other civilized country through which I have traveled. The 
locomotives are the old-fashioned wood-burners. They are fed with 
cotton- wood, or white pine ; and as they have a spark and cinder- 
arrester, do not trouble the passenger with smoke or any disagreeable 
particles. 

Twenty miles an hour is an excellent average for the express 
trains, of which class there is only one each way ever}- twenty-four 
hours. A freight train follows with passenger accommodations. This 



RAILROAD RESTAURANTS. I 7 

makes an average of about ten miles an hour. It requires sixty hours 
to run from Vienna or Berlin to St. Petersburg. The distance would 
be covered in the United States within forty hours. 

It is probably fortunate for the traveler that there are so few stations 
where the trains can stop, as from three to fifteen minutes are given 
at every village or city. Directly the train comes to a halt the guards- 
men rush along, and opening the doors of the compartments cry out 
the time which the train will remain. There seems to be a conspiracy 
between the restauranr-keepers and the railroad officials, for no sooner 
do the doors open to the compartments than vendors of chic, and all 
kinds of drinkables and eatables, flock about and make a display. 
Natives usually jump out of the train and into the buffet. An ordi- 
nary Russian can drink a glass of tea every time a train stops, should 
he travel continually. The tea in Russia is probably the finest in the 
world. It is brought directly overland from China and Japan, and 
the natives claim that it retains all of its natural fragrance and flavor 
by not being subjected to ocean travel, which they insist ruins the tea 
taken to America. It is made in a samovar — a brass or copper tea 
steamer, heated by the burning of charcoal in a cylinder through its 
center, or by an alcohol lamp at its base. 

Russian tea is always served in glass. It should have a squeeze 
of lemon and a lump of cut-loaf sugar. There is a richness about it, 
it must be admitted, which cannot be found elsewhere. It is usually 
of a deep yellow hue and has a positive body to it. 

The best feature of the railroads throughout the empire is the 
ballast. The iron has been well laid, the grades moderately propor- 
tioned, and there is an atmosphere of security when one looks at the 
road-bed ; but the instant he moves off in a train his delusion van- 
ishes. The locomotive groans, belches out a load of sparks and 
ashes ; the carriage reels like a drunken man, and as if it would leave 
the rails ; and you unconsciously cling to whatever there may be sta- 
tionary in your compartment. I shall never forget my introduction 
to the Russian way of travel by rail. 

At every station a force of men with hammers pound all the wheels 
on the cars and carriages, to see that they are sound. The pounding 
has due respect to time and is rather musical. These men are neces- 
sary during the winter, when the air is so cold that all metal is en- 
dangered ; and I presume they keep up their work in the summer as 
much to maintain discipline as anything else. The high tariffs and 
the growth of business enabled the railroad companies to make many 



1 8 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

improvements last year in the way of station-houses and homes for 
employes. I do not remember to have seen an elevator or grain 
warehouse, although this is such a great wheat-producing country. 

It was six o'clock in the morning when I arrived from Vienna at 
Warsaw, some distance within the territory of the Tsar. Warsaw 
impresses the stranger somewhat in the proportions of Wilmington, 
Del., or Wilmington, N. C, yet it has ten times the population. The 
streets are broad and roughly bouldered ; the buildings, of brick, 
stone and wood, are dingy, and the signs of the commercial houses 
are gaudy and numerous. 

When I arrived at the depot on the south of the city, with bun- 
dles in hands, I hastened to find a drosky to transfer me to the station 
on the north side, and three miles distant. Here, as in Berlin and 
other portions of Germany, the check system for conveyances at 
the railway stations is in practice. As I made my way to the point 
of egress, an officer of the railroad handed me a check, and when I 
got outside of the building I held this up to the view of the army of 
drivers seated on their vehicles in front of the station. The driver 
whose number I had came to me at once, took my luggage and 
helped me into his drosky — a long, slender, open, one-horse phaeton, 
with wheels eighteen inches in diameter in front and two feet in the 
rear, with a low seat in the fore and a higher one aft, and with no 
protection or rest at the sides or back. The driver hustled about in 
the most excited manner, impressing me with the idea that we had 
just enough time to reach our destination. To the inquiry he fired at 
me in the unintelligible tongue, I simply held out my railroad book, 
pointed to "St. Petersburg," and shrugged my shoulders. He knew 
I was bound for the Capital of Russia, and soon we were flying 
through the main thoroughfare of Warsaw, the drosky bounding 
over the rough stones so like mad that I could scarcely keep my seat 
by the aid of a firm grip with either hand. 

I did not converse with my driver, who whistled softly to his 
long-bodied and glossy animal, that the speed might be augmented at 
every jump. L,ittle stretches of Nicholson-block streets were passed, 
when the wheels of the drosky gave a sound like the rumbling on a . 
bridge, and the sharp rattle and clang of the wheels and hoofs con- 
tinued on the harsh stones. 

There was little vegetation in the city, no smoke or roar 
from factories, no cheerful faces and merry laughter ; all was stern, 
harsh and foreign. People were gathered in front of the churches on 



AT A RUSSIAN STATION 



x 9 




their knees and were beating 
their foreheads on the side- 
walks or the stone steps, cross- 
ing themselves and looking sad. 
My driver took off his cap every 
minute, crossed himself five 
times and bowed, and each time 
.1 saw a brass shrine nailed up 
on a post or building, some of 
which had candles or lamps 
burning in them. There was 
as solemn an air as if the da} T of 
judgment was near at hand. 

Finally we reached the St. Petersburg station on the Russian 
railroad. It was a brick building, one story, hundreds of feet in 
length. On one full side was an open corridor or covered platform. 
I was met by a half-uniformed officer, who took charge of my bundles 



20 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

(for a half rouble), and after giving my driver three roubles, I was 
ushered into a waiting-room, where were seated people from every 
country on the globe, except North America. 

Here I encountered more "money-changers. They were mostly 
Jews — tall, fierce-looking, shrewd fellows, with handfuls of paper 
roubles and metallic copeck-pieces. The rouble was originally in- 
tended to be worth a dollar in American money, but is now worth but 
forty-six cents. The copeck is the unit of value. One hundred 
copecks make a rouble. 

It took me but a short time to learn that there was no one in the 
vast station who could speak English, as I employed the waiter in the 
restaurant to ascertain. There were the customary gendarmes on 
every hand, strutting around in gorgeous uniforms, with rattling 
swords, spurs and pounds of epaulets and gold braid, eyeing me in a 
painful way. The train for St. Petersburg, I soon learned by the use 
of poor French, stood ready for departure. It was the " Fast Ex- 
press," composed of probably fifteen old carriages, freight cars and 
first-class coaches. I had been told all through Switzerland, France, 
Austria and Germany that I would find the comfortable things of 
travel in Russia ; and here they were to begin. 

It was not yet seven o'clock, although the sun was one-third its 
way across the horizon. I had had no breakfast, and did not know 
whether I had time to order it, as the efforts I had made to ascertain 
"when the seven o'clock train would go" had in reality proven 
futile. So I went from man to man, with watch in hand, pointing to 
the train and then to the dial, intimating, by grunts and gestures, that 
I desired to know when my journey began. All shook their heads 
and eyed me suspiciously. Even the ticket-seller shook his head. 

It then dawned upon me that the train's departure depended 
upon orders or business from another point, and I sat down at a table 
to await a broiled chop and a cup of tea, with my luggage, which I 
could not deposit in the train, beside me, so I could make a dash for 
liberty in the event there should be a movement on the rail. Mean- 
while I braced up from the night of wear with a draught of vermouth. 
It was after eight o'clock when the last of my breakfast disappeared. 
And yet the train — the seven o'clock train — moved not. 

I employed another man to assist me in either finding when the 
cars would start or a man who could speak English. Together we 
labored zealously for two hours, every second appearing to be the 
one when the train would leave. It was not a pleasant suspense, in 



A LINEN DUSTER SENSATION. 21 

view of the fact that Warsaw has a Governor-General, who inspects 
passports independently of the frontier officers, and as mine had not 
there been called for I did not know but that I should be detained as 
I was on the point of departure. 

As I paced up and down the platform and through the various 
rooms of the station I discovered that I was the main object of at- 
traction for two or three hundred people. I could hear the words 
' ' German, ' ' ' ' English, " " American, ' ' from the lips of the gendarmes, 
as I passed them in groups. Finally, a man ran from the ticket-room 
and began ringing a bell. The locomotive responded by a whistle. 
The trainmen w T ere all excitement, and were rushing to and fro, cry- 
ing something which even a native could scarcely distinguish ; and 
then I was caught by the arm and pushed inside a room. 

It was a gendarme who did it. But he was good-natured about 
it, and simply motioned the direction I must take to get out of the 
place and to the train. This procedure made it necessary for me to 
show my ticket, that no mistake should be made in reference to taking 
the proper train. There was, however, but one train. When I re- 
emerged on the platform and started to my compartment I discovered 
why I was the object of so much curiosity. I wore the only linen 
i ulster in sight, and the only traveling cap in the crowd. It was not 
on account of not being marked by the passport officer, and I was. 
not molested. 

The train made fifteen miles an hour. It swung from side to- 
side as if it would be derailed. Involuntarily I clutched the win- 
dow-facing and the seats. I was alone in the compartment, and the 
doors on either hand were fastened from the outside. The car- 
riages on this train w T ere similar to those in other parts of the Conti- 
nent, composed each of four distinct compartments, in which eight 
persons may sit ; and passengers are never visited by trainmen till 
they reach their destination, when their tickets are asked for. The 
train scarcely moved as it passed over the little bridges. 

At the first station, an hour distant from Warsaw, there was a 
sudden stop. The trainman for my section jerked open the door tc 
my right and in Russian, then in German, announced that the trai l 
stopped ten minutes. 

I alighted. 

A crowd of people from the country roundabout were in to see le 
che-min de fer — the steam cars ! I presume the stop was made largely 



2 2 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

for the purpose of gratifying the curiosity of the people, as no busi- 
ness was transacted. 

When the time for departure came the station-master tapped a 
large brass bell ; the man in the baggage-car blew a police whistle ; 
the conductor answered in the same tone ; the engineer touched the 
locomotive whistle, and then the train moved. At every station the 
stop was from three to fifteen minutes, business or no business, and 
this same rigamarole system of signals was each time scrupulously 
enforced. The train's guard explained that it was to give the pas- 
sengers time to eat that so many stops were made. 

At every station, as on the border of the frontier, there was a 
restaurant, owned by the railroad's management, and women and 
children rushed about disposing of pastry, wines, beer and the all- 
popular chic. 

There is one advantage to the infrequency of villages along the 
railroad, where trains stop, and which the traveler enjoys : he is taken 
from and to the principal cities by the most direct line. There are 
but half-a-dozen or less railroads in all of Russia, which is about 
16,000 miles in length, and these few roads are short and bad. The 
longest stretches of road are from Warsaw to St. Petersburg, thirty- 
six hours ; from there to Moscow, fourteen hours ; and from Moscow 
to Niijni Novgorod, and then to Warsaw. 

Sleds used to run between St. Petersburg and Moscow in twenty- 
four hours. Now the trains — two a day — occupy more than half that 
time in making the distance. In America it would require but six 
hours. The cost of travel is twenty-five per cent, higher than in the 
United States. 

In a travel of many thousand miles in Russia I have never 
seen a house or shed for the protection of rolling-stock. The loco- 
motives, when not in use, stand exposed on the side-tracks till they 
rust and fall to pieces. There is the most dense ignorance among 
the employes about the running of trains. But two of the principal 
trains in the country have sleeping-cars, and these are patronized only 
by the strangers. At that time— 1887— Russia was attempting to ne- 
gotiate a loan for the purpose of constructing a line which would 
connect all of her vast empire, and which was intended to be the 
greatest railroad enterprise in the world. 



CHAPTER III. 

Late in the evening of the next day I arrived at St. Petersburg, 
the Capital of and the most beautiful city in Russia. 

Three days and two nights of constant travel, ever encountering 
perplexities, and through one night compelled to sit up in my com- 
partment, alone in a strange and almost barbaric country, did not 
prepare me to appreciate the splendor of the surroundings as I 
crawled out and stood upon the terra firm a of the parent empire. 

Peter the Great selected the site on which St. Petersburg now 
stands. The old Capital is Moscow, whence the Emperor, about a 
century ago, removed the imperial scepter here. It is strange the 
reverence Russians bear toward their ruler ; yet the natives of the 
land of the Tsar speak with the utmost irreverence of Peter the Great. 
He had many of the traits of the autocrat which have made the name 
of the Tsar a terror to the world. He was not always humane, but 
he had that faculty for discernment which, had it been transmitted to 
his successors, would have made Russia to-day far more civilized 
than she is. Peter the Great was the lineal heir to the throne. He 
was a prince by birth. Yet he had the instinct of the statesman. 

He saw an opportunity for building up the material interests of 
the land over which he was to rule ; and in order that he might begin 
at the beginning, he left his country, proceeded to Holland, and 
learned the trade of a ship-builder, starting at the lowest round of 
the ladder and rising to the topmost position in the trade. This gave 
him an insight into the building of navies, which aided him so materi- 
ally in establishing Russia's maritime power. 

Immediately upon his ascension to the throne of the Russias he 
expressed a desire to live in a palace from which he could view the 
surrounding country. He wanted to live near the sea, with whose 
grandeur he was greatly impressed, and to have a place where he 
could look out upon the enemy, should he approach by land or water. 



2 4 



A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



"With this in view he established St. Petersburg, which is popularly 
known as the Tsar's Window. 

Nearly all of the modern architecture in Russia is found in the 
Capital. Moscow, which has quite as many people, but which covers 
less ground, is so old that its ancient structures mar the beauty of the 
new ones. The most improved plans were contemplated and employed 
when St. Petersburg was surveyed, and the Government extended 
assistance in making the buildings and the thoroughfares as hand- 
some as possible. 

Situated at a somewhat higher elevation than the surrounding 
country, St. Petersburg is, indeed, the Tsar's Window. From her 
streets one can, with the naked eye on a clear day, see Finland, be- 
yond the Gulf of Finland, immediately to the south. The shore lines 
in the distance appear like the battlements of a fortress, and the smoke 
from her cities and factories can be definitely discerned. 

Away to the east the eye realizes the outlines of Peterhof, the 
island on which are located the royal palaces of the Tsar and his 
family — an island scarcely a mile square, covered with native forests 
and cultivated groves ; and dotted with fountains and lakes, and the 
most splendid buildings in the world. No one is permitted to live on 
this island except he be connected with the Tsar's family. 

Up the beautiful little river Neva, to the west, the eye perceives 
bluffs which rise almost to the dignity of mountains, and which are 
heavily wooded, dotted with factories and the homes of the suburban 
inhabitants. The Fortress is located up the river, on a miniature 
island ; and being the dreaded place of detention for Nihilists and 
suspected conspirators against the Government, no one who knows its 
awful meaning ever looks toward it or speaks its name except with 
a shudder. 

The streets of St. Petersburg are broad, level, and paved with 
boulders, Nicholson blocks of wood, or granite. The most substan- 
tial buildings are constructed of a light-colored brick. Those oc- 
cupied by the Government are painted a uniform color of light 
yellow ; and always in front of the places where the militaty is sta- 
tioned are posts painted white and black. 

The streets of the city are ever thronged with natives and visit- 
ors ; and it would be difficult to find in any portion of the globe a 
more cosmopolitan people than one encounters upon the streets here. 

There is a predominance of Germans after the natives ; and then 
in proportion are Swedes, Norwegians and French. Turks, Slavs, 



SECURING A CAB. 



25 



Jews and Cossacks are regarded a part of the natives, and are never 
referred to as foreigners, except by the natives, who turn upon them 
at times in fiery passion. The Cossacks, as a whole, are highly re- 
garded by Russians. They were the aborigines of Russia ; and not 
only fought her early wars and brought to her the laurels she won 
on the field in the last two centuries, but they stand foremost to-day 
among her soldiery. 




rj>i» 2-r. i-" Gc 



PETKRHOF PALACE AND FOUNTAIN. 



At the time I visited St. Petersburg there was but one really 
good hotel ; and there is everywhere in the kingdom an entire ab- 
sence of hawkers about the railroad stations. Criers for hotels, 
conveyances and bazaars, and every conceivable trade establishment, 
are never found in Russia. 

The moment the traveler alights from the train in the great sta- 
tion at St. Petersburg he is directed by a railway official to the inside 



26 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

gate, whence he emerges to the public space, which is like a great 
courtyard on the outside. Here the gendarme in charge of the drosky- 
stand is encountered. The system of handing numbered checks to 
arrivals, so that conveyances may be engaged in turn, thus avoiding 
confusion, and which prevails in Warsaw, is practiced throughout 
Russia. You take your check, like that for a piece of baggage, and 
after a few steps find yourself before a large body of drosky and 
carriage drivers. They wear long robes of navy blue cloth, almost 
touching the ground. Around their waists are heavy bands of the 
same material. On their heads are perched low but broad-top caps, 
with a short rim. All have their pantaloons tucked into the high tops 
of their boots. The boot-legs have the regulation wrinkles in their 
center, made with a precision that is artistic. The traveler, if he 
speaks Russian, calls out his number, and instantly the driver to whom 
the number belongs doffs his cap and runs forward in the most hum- 
ble manner ; steps up to you ; bows, takes your luggage, and directs 
you to his conveyance. 

The finest horses to be found in the world can be seen in St. 
Petersburg. They are an improvement of the Arabic breed. If 
nothing else is scrupulously and conscientiously cared for the horses 
in St. Petersburg have attention. The majority of them are black, 
and all have tails so long that they almost touch the ground ; and 
their manes are proportionate. The coats of the animals are 
glossy, and if the driver discovers a speck of dirt upon his horse he 
instantly stops, takes off his cap, brushes the dirt awa}* and gives 
the place where it was a high polish, as a fastidious man would polish 
his beaver. 

There is a law which prohibits the exportation of horses from 
Russia, and likewise' their importation, so that there is never the 
introduction of foreign blood. The animals are driven at break-neck 
speed through the crowded streets. 

At the hotel the traveler is received with great pomp. When 
the carriage arrives a flock of porters rush out to relieve the 
stranger of his luggage, and immediately the proprietor extends a 
hand of welcome. 

At the leading hotels, the ranking banks and other commercial 
establishments in the large cities, the American encounters at least 
one and sometimes as many as three men who speak his tongue ; but 
it is necessary to have a guide for shopping or sight-seeing expeditions. 

In no country which I ever visited have I experienced as much 



SERVANTS AND GUIDES. 27 

disappointment as in Russia in the matter of familiarizing myself with 
the customs of the people. In London, Paris, Rome and through 
Austria, Switzerland and other countries, I was informed that I would 
find in Russia any number of people who spoke the English tongue, 
and that every well-regulated store had linguists. All educated Rus- 
sians, I was assured, spoke English. The very opposite I found to be 
true. There are many people in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other 
Russian cities who speak the vernacular, but they are very few 
in comparison with those who speak only Russian, French or German. 
On an average, an English-speaking Russian is found in not more than 
one business establishment in forty. 

All of the principal cities of Europe, as well as most of the small 
ones, and the villages in fact, are swarming with guides. In St. 
Petersburg I soon learned that there were not more than two guides 
for the whole city. One of them had a world-wide reputation, and 
was frequently engaged three months ahead. Fortune favored me 
here, and I secured the old guide, and very soon formed the pleasant 
acquaintance of an aged friend and a high official connected with the 
Tsar — a gentleman w T ho was for thirty-five years the family physician 
to Alexander II. 

All in the employ of the crown are required to wear a service- 
badge. It is of silver, in the form of a six-pointed star, and a little 
larger than a French Napoleon piece. Those in immediate connec- 
tion with the crown — members of the Privy Council, for instance — 
wear a service-badge more ornamental than those in inferior positions, 
and this emblem of office gives carte blanche to the bearer and insures 
for him every privilege that can be acquired in official life. At the 
markets, in the theatres, passing through the Winter Palace and the 
private places my official friend was shown more distinction than 
a Cabinet officer would receive in the United States at the hands of 
men in the public service. 

One scarcely gets settled in his hotel till he is possessed with the 
spirit of exploring the city. Even in August the atmosphere is brac- 
ing, if not chilly, and the great change in scenery the traveler encoun- 
ters commands him to keep on the constant move. 

If there is anything especially cheap, it is the drosky or carriage 
hire. Two persons ride very comfortably in the drosky, and the 
expense is but twenty copecks an hour for each passenger. Drawn 
up against the curb-stone in front of the hotels and public places are 



28 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

seen long lines of droskies, each with the driver asleep on his seat, 
his head lying in his lap, and the horse in a lapse of content. 

A whip is never used. The reins are tied with a large knot, and 
being two or three feet longer than usual, the end is used for the 
lash. The driver pulls when he wants greater speed, and slackens 
up when the animal is to stop. He also makes a sound for faster 
speed that rumbles under his tongue like the whirr-r-r-r of the 
partridge. 

There are no regulations against fast driving. The occupant of 
the vehicle is responsible for the damage done ; and the driver is 
willing to go as fast as his employer commands. Before the skill 
now attained by drivers was achieved, it is stated, the fatal casualties 
amounted to an average of one person every day in the streets 
through reckless driving. The driver is not arrested when a foot- 
passenger is run over. The occupant of the vehicle is taken into 
custody. This is pleasant for the Russian, but tough for the Yankee. 

St. Petersburg is regarded a dull place in summer time. It is 
the winter that offers all the sports and amusements, and attracts the 
large crowds. People from all parts of Europe flock here to engage 
in the sleighing carnivals and holiday festivities, the balls and 
parties, and theatrical entertainments, which have won celebrity 
throughout the world. 

I found but one place of amusement open, which was the Sum- 
mer Garden ; and here I witnessed extraordinary performances nightly. 
Sunday is not regarded as a holy day, and many of the factories do 
not stop on account of it ; while work in the streets and on buildings 
progresses as on week days. 

The first night that I attended the Summer Garden I was thrilled 
with a peculiar sensation. We entered at a wide gate in a high wall, 
where we purchased and gave up tickets. On the inside was an open 
park, covering probably two acres. In the center of it was a canopy 
under which the nobility and aristocracy of the city drank various 
beverages and partook of luncheon. It was such a scene as one wit- 
nesses in some of the highest-class gardens in Berlin and other Ger- 
man cities. 

At about ten o'clock, when darkness had come on, the band 
called the multitude from the Garden into an adjoining open space, 
for which extra tickets were required. We entered what appeared to 
be a public square, in which were wooden seats. In front of this was 
the side of an enormous theater. The glaring lamps from the garden 



AT TH^ SUMMER GARDEN. , 29 

shed a reflective light upon the space we now occupied. Finally the 
side of the theater seemed to move away. It was a curtain rising ; 
and a large stage was disclosed before us. This was the Summer 
Theater. Nothing but the canopy of Heaven was over our heads. 
We sat there in the open air and witnessed a tragedy, a comedy, and 
an opera, on a stage which occupied the rear of the Winter Theater. 
It was after midnight when the entertainment closed, and the Sum- 
mer Garden was patronized until daylight, which breaks in August at 
half-past two or three o'clock in the morning. 





UCH more, vastly more, interest is taken 
in one institution here than any other. It is 
the Fortress located up the Neva on a little 
island, about two hours distant from the Capi- 
tal, by way of any of the little passenger 
boats which ply this river. The Fortress is 
the Government's prison or penitentiary. It is a terrible place ; and 
the natives shudder when they hear it mentioned, or the scenes 
which are known to be enacted within its dismal walls recur to them. 
Few stories are told from the lips of inmates of this horrible 
prison, as the civilized world seldom hears of the man, woman or 
child once sent there. 

If the Fortress could speak it could tell of more cruelty, injus- 
tice and heartlessness than all the pages of Russian history. It is 
true that Russia is the home of the Nihilist — the original conspirator 
against monarchical government, imperialism and absolute power 
vested in the single man. And the American, after a short stay in the 



A FORBIDDING PDACK. 3 1 

empire, does not wonder that there are Nihilists, or that the result 
is a Fortress and prison where suspects and open enemies of the crown 
are consigned for life or execution. 

Surrounding the Fortress is a broad stone wall on which sentries 
pace day and night. 

At each corner is a parapet, where the superior officers of the 
guard keep vigil, and are prepared for any effort which may be made 
by friends of inmates at rescue.. None but the officers are permitted 
to land here. I have heard many stories, most of which I believe to 
be true, about strangers losing their lives in attempts to stop at the 
Fortress. While boating they innocently run up to the walls, and in 
attempting to land have been shot down. The guards have im- 
perative orders to permit no one, except certain authorized officers, 
to place his foot upon this little island, the outlines of which are 
marked by the high, grim and death-like walls. 

When one is suspected of designs against the present form of 
government he is instantly arrested and taken to the House of Pre- 
ventive Detention, where he awaits the form of mock trial. He is 
given no opportunity to send for witnesses, to employ counsel, or to 
make the usual defense. He is arraigned by the officers of the crown, 
who are supposed to stand in the same attitude toward the prisoner 
that the Judge Advocate occupies in the courts-martial in the United 
States. He is presumed to give justice to the suspected, and render 
it to the Government. There is no appeal ; when the decision is an- 
nounced the prisoner is hurried away to the Fortress. After that the 
world does not know what becomes of him. He is absorbed in the 
Unknown, like the drops of water in the ocean. 

Natives say that if the blood shed in this place was turned into 
one single stream it would float a ship. The rankest criminals and 
the most innocent, delicate women are brought face to face here. 

The structure itself is after the usual fortress architecture. It 
was originally constructed for the purpose of defending the approach 
to St. Petersburg ; but the Tsar soon came to the conclusion that the 
Neva would never be a stream which an enemy would occupy with 
men-of-war, and that on account of its narrowness it could be held 
by batteries on the shore. The Fortress was then turned into a prison. 

There are no crimes in the country punishable by death, except 
those against the crown. A man may murder a whole houseful of 
people in cold blood and escape with a five or one-year sentence, if 
he does not in fact escape without any punishment ; but if he criti- 



32 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

cises the Government, the Tsar, a member of the royal family, or art 
officer, he is condemned to be shot, or is exiled for life to Siberia. 

The same punishment is meted to the tutors in the schools for 
advocating a constitutional or other form of government than that 
which now prevails. It is significant that nearly all of the riotous 
public demonstrations and attempts against the life of the Tsar on ac- 
count of imperialism have, for many years, had their inception in the 
schools. No sooner does a pupil learn to read, and get into his or 
her possession books suggesting other forms of government and free 
institutions, than he or she becomes what is commonly termed a Nihil- 
ist — a conspirator against the Government. 

It is no wonder that there are less than five millions of Russia's 
one hundred million subjects who can read or write. The only 
schools in the Russias are those established and maintained at the ex- 
pense of the crown. Appointments to the schools are made by the 
royal families who support the Tsar in every effort he makes to tax 
the population more heavily, or bring down the thumb-screws finally 
in his strife to strangle education. There are continual changes in 
the rolls of teachers in the schools ; and detectives are among the 
pupils, or are constantly in some capacity about the buildings. As 
soon as it is suspected that there is sedition taught or permitted, or 
that any form of dissatisfaction is finding a lodgment in the pupil's 
mind, the teacher or the child is instantly removed ; and if his ideas 
are deep-seated, or considered dangerous, he is sent to the House of 
Preventive Detention for the development of his disease or the pun- 
ishment of his crime. 

The streets of St. Petersburg continually swarm with detectives, 
dressed as citizens. There are about thirty thousand of them in the 
Capital alone. 

Besides these, there are from twenty-five to seventy-five thousand 
soldiers constantly stationed here and at Peterhof, about the palaces 
of the Tsar. Many of the detectives are taken from the ranks of the 
army. They know every stranger who enters the city, and keep a 
close surveillance upon him. 

The first thing the traveler upon entering a Russian city or vil- 
lage does is to give up his passport to the landlord. Your passport is 
asked for before your name ; and, in fact, before the porter releases 
his grip upon your luggage. If you have not a passport you must 
leave the building instantly, as your arrival has already been reported 
at the headquarters of the gendarmerie the minute you enter the build- 



THE DETECTIVE SYSTEM. 35 

ing ; and but a short hour is given the landlord within which to 
send your passport to headquarters. A heavy fine is imposed upon 
landlords if they fail to turn in passports immediately upon their re- 
ceipt ; and this has the effect of making them extremely cautious. 
If they are fined several times within a short period they become 
suspects, are watched as criminals, and are liable to be sent up the 
river. 

It is by this rigid system of prompt action that the detectives are 
enabled to know every stranger's face when they encounter him on 
the streets. They follow you into shops, in your drives through the 
city, and you are never out of their sight. 

I was greatly impressed with the rigid guardianship these worthies 
keep over strangers a few days after my arrival at St. Petersburg. 
My official friend called one evening, and while talking over Russian 
matters in my private room in the Hotel d ' Europe he forgot his posi- 
tion and joined me in severe criticism of the imperiousness of the 
crown and the servitude the subjects are placed under. All of the 
conversation was carried on in very low tones of voice, until some of 
the every-day occurrences were related, and word-pictures were drawn 
of the manner in which men, women and children against whom there 
was only the slightest suspicion of disloyalty were snatched out of 
their beds at midnight, or taken from their homes, shops or factories 
while at work and carried to the House of Preventive Detention, 
given summary forms of trial and hastened to the Fortress, where they 
disappeared from view forever, without an opportunity to defend them- 
selves or part with their families and friends. 

At this point our voices could have been heard by one in an ad- 
joining room or in the corridor outside the door. Quick as a flash my 
friend threw up his hands, and exclaimed, softly, between his teeth : 

' ' Hist ! ' ' and he drew his chair nearer me. ' ' You must speak in 
a whisper ! We may be detected here. There are detectives all about 
us. They are located in this very hotel. Their ears and eyes may 
be at our door. If I should be found in your room I would be sus- 
pected. If one of your words should be heard by these officers you 
would be condemned, and no influence I could wield and nothing that 
your Government could do would save you." 

Further admonition was unnecessary. 

In the dining-room, on the streets, at the theater, the Summer 
Garden, the church, one feels that the eyes of detectives are upon 
him, and that every move he makes and word he utters is noted by 



34 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

the men whose only motive is to misconstrue and misinterpret. The 
greatest effort is made to distort what natives and strangers say or do, 
so as to bring them within the jurisdiction of the criminal code. 

There is a constant Reign of Terror. 

It does not partake of excitement, but quiet trepidation and fear 
which are as painful. Whenever a party of gentlemen or ladies, whose 
character is not known to be far above suspicion, enter a public place 
for amusement or refreshment a stranger in appearance but a detective 
in fact gets within ear-shot or eye-sight. If anything is said or done 
which is in the least suspicious, he draws nearer and makes a note. 
Instantly the party is under the ban of suspicion. , 

The principal operations of the gendarmes and detectives are per- 
formed at night. There are nocturnal visitations at the homes of all 
who are believed to entertain any design or idea against the Govern- 
ment. The natives usually enjoy absolute immmrhy from these official 
visitations during the day. The night visitors are headed by detec- 
tives, while the visitations in daylight are by the gendarmes. Some- 
times a family suspected of designs against the Government, either 
through positive work or correspondence with persons outside the 
empire, are visited a dozen times during a day or night by officers. 
Every conceivable design is sprung upon them, with a view to taking 
them unawares and finding some traces of evidence of disloyalty. 
The visitations during the day are by officers in citizen's clothing; 
and they go about their work so quietly that the service attracts little 
attention in the neighborhood. But sometimes the night visitors 
come in a great squad, and surrounding the house a search follows 
that makes an absolute sensation. The night searches of this kind, 
besides being designed to find all traces of conspiracy against the 
Government, are intended to terrorize the community and drive the 
inhabitants from any seditious intrigue with which the}^ may be 
connected. 

No family feels secure from surprises of this character and no one 
can congratulate himself that he is above suspicion. Tsars have put 
detectives after members of the royal family, and their blood has been 
shed at the Fortress in punishment of the fancied or real crime of 
sympathizing with conspirators. 

One will wonder how it can be that in spite of all this precaution, 
and notwithstanding the continued espionage of the Russian police, 
Nihilism can flourish and crime can grow. An educated Russian 
has a full development of the bump of cunning ; and occasionally one 
is found who is equal to the detectives. 



INGENIOUS ATTEMPT AT ROBBERY. 35 

Some years ago the Prefect of the Police drove to a bank in 
his drosky to draw the money necessary to pay off his forces. The 
banker handed him his package, which proved to be in bills of larger 
denomination than those desired. The Prefect asked that the}^ be 
changed for bills of smaller denominations. The banker said that he 
could not accommodate him at that moment, but that he would secure 
the exchange if the officer would come back later. It was then ten 
o'clock in the morning, and the Prefect promised to return at three 
in the afternoon. Promptly L at three he drove up, and was informed 
that he must be mistaken, as he had just received the money, not 
ten minutes before. Without a moment's delay the official sprang 
into his carriage and drove to the nearest post. It is the custom in St. 
Petersburg to post detectives at different points along the main thor- 
oughfares, and these detectives are compelled to keep close watch of 
every passerby, and besides must note the movements of all their su- 
periors. Driving to the first post the Prefect said to the officer : 

' ' Did you see me drive by here a few minutes ago ? ' ' 

The reply was in the affirmative. He then asked which direc- 
tion he took, and the direction was pointed out. Going to the next post 
he made a similar inquiry of the detective stationed there, and was 
informed that he had been seen to pass a short time before. 

Once more he was informed of the direction he had taken, and this 
time he discovered that he had turned the corner. Driving a short 
distance down the street indicated he arrived at the third post, and 
was there told that he had been seen to drive up and stop at the Hotel 
d 'Europe. He hastened to the hotel and inquired the number of his 
room. Having learned it, he mounted the stairs and proceeded to the 
chamber which, it was supposed, he occupied. Bursting open the 
door he confronted a man who was the exact counterpart of himself. 

This individual was in the act of storing away the large sum of 
money he had just received from the bank, and in twenty minutes 
would have been outside the reach of the gendarmes. His make-up 
was so perfect that he deceived every one. His drosky was an exact 
duplicate of that of the Prefect ; his horse matched to a hair, and his 
servants were identical in every respect to those of the Chief of Police. 

The plot would have been brought to a successful termination 
and the bank would have lost an enormous sum of mone} r but for the 
promptness of the Prefect. As it was, an enterprising criminal, 
who proved to be of excellent family, was last heard of in the Fortress 
on the Neva, and he is probably at present expiating his crime in the 
mines of Siberia. 



CHAPTER Y. 

There are two personages whose words are law — the Tsar and 
the Prefect of Police. 

Russia never had but one code of laws, and that was prepared by 
Peter the Great, a century and ahalf ago. It was originally a very 
crude composition ; indefinite, vague, and possible of any construc- 
tion. It was nothing in the way of a constitution ; so that subse- 
quent rulers had only to take from or add to it ad libitum, decreasing 
or enlarging the one-man power at will. 

Laws are made in the shape of ukases, which are similar in form 
to the proclamations issued from the Executive Mansion or executive 
departments at Washington. The difference in their character is that 
the ukases are the creation of laws, the outgrowth of desires of the 
Tsar ; while the proclamations and orders issued from the White 
House and departments at the Capital of the United States are in ful- 
fillment, or are the outgrowth of laws, the legislative power being 
vested only in Congress. In Russia there is no legislative power ex- 
cept in the Tsar and his Cabinet. They make the laws, like a Con- 
gress, and enforce them. The jurists or judges' of Russia are 
appointed to serve during their life-time. 

There is but one set of courts ; so that there is nothing like an 
appeal, when once a decision is rendered, except it be made to the 
Tsar ; and it is quite as easy for a camel to pass through the eye of a 
needle as it is for a subject to approach him. There is no such thing 
as the habeas corpus. There never was such a recourse. I have not 
heard that there is any offense against the crown that is bailable. 
Prisoners are always held for trial — if they are not sent directly to 
the Fortress, where only the military laws are exercised, and where 
the courts-martial sit in judgment — at the House of ' Preventive De- 
tention, the half-way prison between the Fortress and liberty. It is 
contended by the authorities that the House of Preventive Detention 
is as good as liberty on bail to the prisoner, as it is possible for him 
to there receive counsel and visits from his family. A visit, however, 
from any one at the House of Preventive Detention is a mockery. 

The vagueness of the penal code has a design. 



PETERHOF. 37 

It gives unlimited latitude to the courts, so that, when a direc- 
tion issues from the Tsar or his Council that the prisoner shall be 
condemned, the laws are construed to this end, should the prosecution 
fail to convict under the natural process. 

Lawyers are extremely scarce here, and their success in the trial of 
a cause depends solely upon the degree of their solidity with the au- 
thorities. If they are subservient, and truckle to the powers, they 
are favored. Should they stand upon the merits of a cause and at- 
tempt only to exercise their judicial learning, they are practically 
driven from practice. A Russian lawyer would be a poor excuse in 
the United States. 

There is some probate business ; but it does not amount to much, 
since the bulk of the property is in the hands of the few. 

But the most diabolical feature of the trials, and, in fact, all 
matters of every public character, is the arbitrary power given offi- 
cials. Americans can appreciate this most keenly if they will fancy- 
trials for high crimes conducted by the Government only, and no ap- 
peal or petition possible ; arbitrary and unlimited construction of law 
by the court ; and its right to cite laws, without reference to date or 
priority ; repealing almost any ukase or edict. This makes it abso- 
lutely impossible for any one to win a suit without the favor of the 
court. 

Alexander II. was far more popular than his son, now on the throne. - 
Despite his maintenance of all the despotic prerogatives of the Tsar. 
Alexander II'. did many things to please his people. Alexander III. 
is regarded 03^ the Russians as not only a weak man, but a coward. 
Although the Winter Palace is the finest in the world, he lives at: 
Peterhof, across the Gulf of Finland. There, amid a dozen palaces, 
stables costing 2,000,000 roubles a year and containing 850 horses, 
with a salary of about 6,000,000 roubles a year — altogether over 
$4,000,000 — he lives and does the little business he transacts. He is 
afraid to go anywhere ; he is literally carried by detectives, body- 
guards and soldiers, and is suffering from too much power. 

One night I attended the illumination at Peterhof in honor of the 
Tsarina's birthday. This woman is a sister to the future Queen Con- 
sort of England, and has no more compunctions about the burdens of 
her subjects. The Tsar's palace is situated on a peninsula. The 
grounds and the buildings occupy almost a mile square. There are 
the most superb structures, fountains, and miles of the finest parking 
and drives in the world. 



38 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

Buildings and fountains, trees, and great crowns, crosses and 
figures, besides miles of high walls, were covered with vari-colored 
lamps. There were millions of lights, and it required a regiment of 
soldiers and hundreds of civilians weeks to put them in place. All 
was paid for from the public treasury, or rather the Tsar's treasury, 
repleted by the people. 

At a time in the evening when the fountains and lights glistened 
most, the bands played loudest and the pyrotechnics and cannon from 
the men-of-war in the gulf glared and roared best, the royal family 
gave the assembled multitude a rare treat. It showed itself. Seldom 
it is that the people in Russia see their Emperor, their Tsar, because 
he suspects them all of designs upon his life. 

I was making my wa}^ between two of the great blazing walls of 
colored lights, through one of the drives, when a detachment of Cos- 
sacks dashed along, slashing their sabers and driving the people out 
of the wa3 r . In their wake came soldiers on foot, and great detach- 
ments of men in citizen's clothing. The latter stationed themselves 
in front of the lines of the masses. A din of voices ; lusty cheering is 
heard in the distance. It comes nearer, then nearer. More Cos- 
sacks, more soldiers, more men in citizen's clothing ; and further back 
we are crowded. 

The tier of officious citizens is reinforced in our front, and man}^ 
linger in the drive-way. Finally the caravan comes in view. More 
Cossacks, soldiers, citizens. Bight white horses, each one on the left 
bearing a postillion, are next seen ; then the royal equipage, an im- 
mense, gold-mounted chariot. The Tsar, a great, burly fellow, with 
full beard, crown and uniform, is on the left seat in front. The 
brother, the Crown Prince, the Tsarina and Grand Dukes, etc., make 
up the load. On every side of the carriage, four deep, are Cossacks, 
while the drive-way in front and rear is blocked by soldiery, making 
a perfect shield against violent attacks. 

The ' ' citizens ' ' who were so very plentiful and officious were the 
most experienced detectives and body-guards in the empire. There 
were thousands of them. It "would have been impossible for one to 
have raised his or her hand against the Tsar or any member of 
his family. 

It is the boast of the Russian authorities that their detectives 
have eyes in eve^ portion of their heads and bodies. The whole 
service of protecting the crown and members of the family, and sup- 
pressing all thoughts of dissatisfaction with the present form of gov- 



GENERAL GRESSER. 39 

ernment, is in full charge of General Gresser. chief of the secret ser- 
vice. The authority of this officer is appalling. He can order into 
exile or the execution-yard anyone suspected of unlawful or disre- 
spectful acts or intentions. He attends the theaters, and may be 
said to run all places of amusement. If he is displeased with any- 
thing he suppresses it, and there is no redress. His word is law, from 
which there is no appeal. 

There are some commendable acts of General Gresser. He per- 
mits no unnecessary exposure to fire, or loss of water, and will not 
tolerate beggary. There are no beggars in St. Petersburg. Recently 
Chief Gresser was at the Garden Theater, where the usual perform- 
ance takes place on the stage, and where people enjoy the refresh- 
ments at hand. One of the waiters at a table made an insulting 
observation to a lady. The matter was reported to Gresser, who on 
the spot closed the theater and garden and kept them closed for six 
weeks, although the daily and nightly profits exceeded two thousand 
roubles. There was no appeal from the verbal order. The license 
of other officers is quite as great. That of the Cossack is astonishing. 

In the streets of St. Petersburg, Moscow, and other cities, the 
stranger is attracted by squads of murderous-looking mounted sol- 
diers. They are reared and live on horseback, and are expert 
horsemen. They wear slouch caps, sash coats, with belts ; top boots, 
great, jingling spurs, broad sabers, and in their holsters are heavy 
pistols. Swung across their backs are carbines, in Astrakhan or other 
cases. They carry the ancient battle-ax, attached to a fifteen-foot 
staff, swinging it from a socket at the foot-rest. All ride rapidly, 
are swarthy and rough-looking, and remind one more of war and 
bloodshed than anybody or anything else. 

Throughout the history of Russia the reader sees the hand of the 
Cossack. He was the first and last in battle. When Napoleon, in 
1 812, after taking Moscow and leaving his shattered army freezing 
and starving in the dead of winter to struggle back to France, started 
on his memorable run to Paris, the Cossacks pursued the fleeing 
forces and made mincemeat of them. While the French soldiers 
were freezing in a temperature thirty degrees below zero and filling 
up the Volga and other streams they attempted to ford, the Cossacks 
with ease flayed the enemy, one Cossack being equal to twenty 
French soldiers. The Cossack of old won a local renown that is held 
sacred ; but he has since degenerated. 

Now the Cossack is a plunderer. He is furnished a horse, arms 
and ammunition, and is given rations when in camp, but must forage 



4-0 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

when on the march, which is nearly alwa3-s ; and he is given no pay. 
But for a natural pilferer he is given something better than pay. He 
has complete immunity against punishment for any crime other than 
dislo}^alty and wanton murder. The Government makes him a 
licensed plunderer, and tells him to forage. He becomes a brigand, 
and no secret is made of it. Peasants and villages are robbed by 
these soldiers ; travelers garroted, and nothing is said or done about 
it. The Cossack is a privileged character. 

And so much like the ideal of the Tsar is the Cossack that he is 
made the crown's bodyguard. At Peterhof, and wherever the Tsar 
is, there one finds a regiment or two of Cossacks, riding like mad, 
committing depredations, and acting the ruffians they are. They are 
the best living, moving illustration one sees in all of the Russias of 
the character of the Government and its ruler. 




One of the first places the visitor to the Capital of Russia in- 
quires for is the Winter Palace. This is the finest public building in 
the world. 

Its contents are valuable beyond computation. It has been said 
that the jewels alone in this rich treasure-house and residence are 
worth five hundred and fifty million dollars. Surely there are wagon 
loads of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, be- 
sides carloads of solid gold and silver. A dozen rooms are filled with 
the most precious tableware. 

Here are thousands and thousands of the richest, most artis- 
tic and valuable paintings to be found in the world. They are 



42 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

from the brushes of not only the world's old masters, but the modern 
artists of the country. Hundreds of paintings are large enough to 
cover almost the entire side of spacious rooms. Some of them are 
trophies of war, captured from conquered countries in the last cen- 
tury. The building is fully two blocks, or squares, in length, and 
quite as wide, covering as much space as four of the large squares in 
Washington and several acres in area. It is of brick, stone and 
marble, four high stories and a basement. 

In front of the main entrance to the Winter Palace is an im- 
mense open court, similar to Trafalgar Square in London. It is beau- 
tiful, and ornamented with handsome arrangements for lighting by 
gas or electricity. In the center is the Alexander Column. The 
building at the main entrance is concave in shape. It has a splendid 
drive, and is a popular lounging-place for visitors. 

The Winter Palace here faces the war office. In this square 
also stands the celebrated statue to Caesar Peter, and on the left are 
the ministerial and judicial departments. In the immediate vicinity 
are located all the Government buildings ; and around about are situ- 
ated some of the largest, oldest and most imposing churches, whose 
great gilded domes and crosses blaze in the sunlight. The scene in 
. combination is one of splendor, witnessed nowhere else on the globe. 

The Palace of the Hermitage is situated just behind the Winter 
Palace, and is externally one of the most dazzling buildings in the 
Capital. It is a magnificent structure, the original hermits being the 
Empress Catherine II., the nymphs, the princesses and the countesses 
of her court. The seat of the empire was formerly at the Hermitage. 
The building now contains various beautiful vases in malachite, 
lapis lazuli, jasper and other stones of great brilliancy and value. 

Stored here is a lapis lazuli vase of oval shape which measures 
twenty feet in diameter, being the largest vase in the world. Its 
value cannot be computed. Some of these objects are the work of 
exiles in Siberia, and were brought over from the Ural Mountains and 
other sections of the exile kingdom. The floors of the Hermitage 
are of elaborately inlaid oak, cedar and mahogany. The works of 
art cannot be described. They successfully rival those at the 
Louvre, Paris. 

Russians are extremely proud of the treasures they have stored 
in the palaces here and at Moscow. They evidently never think of 
the sacrifice made and the blood spilled to acquire these treasures ; 
and they never recur to the fact that they in no way relieve their pov- 



BOUNDLESS RICHES. 43 

erty or assist them to bear the burdens they are constantly subjected 
to. Russia probably has ten thousand million dollars in her idle 
palaces. This vast wealth is in bric-a-brac, paintings, ceramics, 
precious stones and jewels, purchased with money wrung from the 
people by taxation or secured in war. 

With not a free public school, the credit of the empire nearly as 
low as that of Turkey, and the treasury constantly almost empty, 
these bewilderingly beautiful, priceless and precious jewels are simply 
displayed, like so many wax flowers, to the gaze of the gaping vis- 
itor. I presume it is for the purpose of impressing not only the 
strangers, but the natives, with the gorgeousness of their empire and 
the high standard of taste set up by their present ruler and those who 
have preceded him. 

A palace has been constructed for every Emperor or Empress 
who has ruled since Russia was civilized, and the consequence is a 
great aggregation of the enormously expensive structures. I walked 
five hours, with but infrequent and brief pauses, through the Winter 
Palace one day and progressed but half way through its three prin- 
cipal floors. One with an eye for the artistic would be absorbed here 
five hours a day for five weeks. He would grow weary of the 
pottery and chinaware made centuries ago and down through all 
periods of time to the present, and of which there are cartloads ; 
walls and walls, miles of them, of the most perfect paintings and 
prints ; royal harness, and carriages, in which have ridden Tsars and 
Tsarinas, and their families, beginning three centuries ago and com- 
ing down to the present, the trappings all decked with the most prec- 
ious jewels — diamonds, rubies and emeralds being no more here than 
Rhinestones in America — the personal effects of the various rulers who 
have stood over Russia with a rod of iron and a will of steel — includ- 
ing the playthings they had when they were children. 

The Winter Palace was the residence of the Emperor and his court 
during the winter months. But Alexander III. occupies his palace at 
Peterhof, across the gulf to the east, during the entire year. He 
refuses to dwell in the Winter Palace, because his father, in 1881, 
lived there ; and after several unsuccessful attempts were made to 
assassinate him in his home, he was finally torn to pieces by a bomb 
thrown from the hand of a Nihilist on the street, and here he was 
carried to die. Surely the most ambitious could not but be appalled 
by the thought of life in such a temple ; and Alexander III. is not 
an exception ; he simply refuses to live here on account of the super- 



44 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

stition that it is ill-luck to reside in the house where an ancestor has 
expired. 

The Winter Palace was built over a century ago. Very early it 
was burned, and in 1839 was entirety rebuilt and restored. The exact 
frontage of the building at the main entrance is 555 feet. The ball- 
room has an inlaid oak floor, polished like marble ; the door-knobs and 
facings are studded with precious stones ; also the chandeliers, and 
frequently on the walls and ceilings gems blaze and scintillate in the 
light ; the room is about 90 by 300 feet in length. The dining-room 
has walls of gilt, and although a little smaller, is quite as brilliant as 
the ball-room. Before Nihilism became so rampant there was a 
grand supper and ball given every midwinter by the court, to which 
the army and navy officers, the civil officers and the nobility were 
invited. 

Among the jewels is the great Orloff diamond. It weighs 795 
carats and surmounts the Imperial Scepter. The Imperial Crown of 
all the Russias is adorned with jewels valued at 823,796 roubles, or 
$400,000. In general appearance it resembles the dome-formed patri- 
archal miter, and carries on its summit a cross of five splendid dia- 
monds, supported by a large uncut but highly-polished spinel ruby. 

There, are eleven great diamonds in the foliated arch, rising from 
the front and back of the crown supporting the ruby and its cross. 
On either side of this central arch is a hoop of thirty-eight vast and 
perfect pearls, imparting to the imperial diadem the miter-like aspect 
which is to typify the exaltation of the Sovereign into the sphere of 
the ancient, superseded patriarchate. The dome-spaces on either side 
of these arches of pearl are filled with leaf- work and ornaments in silver 
covered with diamonds and lined with purple velvet. There is a band 
on which the crown is supported, and it surrounds the brow of the Em- 
peror, carrying with it twenty-eight immense diamonds. The orb is 
valued at 190,500 roubles, and is surmounted by a large sapphire of a 
rich but slightly greenish-blue color, with a huge diamond of the 
finest water and of a form somewhat elongated. I describe this Im- 
perial Crown so that the reader may have a general idea of the 
gorgeousness of the many crowns found in all of the royal palaces of 
the country. One description will give the general appearance of 
many of these precious heirlooms. The guide-books will give the 
details of the palaces ; and since I have resolved not to consult guide- 
books in the compilation of these notes, wearisome detailed descrip- 
tions are not entered into. 



GRKBK MONKS. 



45 



The Hermitage is the royal art gallery, and, as I have intimated, 
is the successful rival teethe Louvre in Paris or the National Gallety 
in London. It Jcontainsj about two thousand pictures selected from 
more than] four thousand specimens. The advancement- of Russian 
art is shown in the Hermitage to splendid advantage. Much has 
been said about the literature of Russia, but I have been unfortunate 
in not finding much of it. I must say, however, that I have seen a 
great deal of artistic'work which would do credit to Rome, Florence, 
or any other home of true art. 

It is necessary to have a special permit — which is not easily 
obtained, but which is secured at one of the offices of the Governor- 
General — in order to visit either the Winter Palace or the Hermitage. 
You are received at the entrance by the officers in charge and a guide 
is assigned to you. If there are several persons in your party several 
guides assist you, not for the purpose of showing more than one could 
indicate, but to watch you. 

In every room there are detectives or gendarmes in citizen's 
clothing, and their eyes are ever upon you. The guides seldom 

speak a word : they confine them- 
selves to conducting 3^ou from 
room to room and floor to floor, 
and indicating with their hands 
the most desirable things to be seen. 
No stipulated charge is exacted, 
but it is the proper thing to hand 
each one of those who show you 
any attention at least fifty copecks 
before you part with him. There 
is no place in the world where a 
liberal use of the filth}- lucre oils 
up the machine^ to better advan- 
tage than in Russia. 

As the visitor goes about the 
city sight-seeing he is impressed 
with the profusion of persons in the 
employ of the established Church 
of Russia, which is the ^Greek 
Church. Very mairy monks are 
seen everywhere, and one finally wonders where and how they all 
live. 




46 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

The average Greek monk is not of a very high order of man. 
He is fairly educated, but is slothful. He is dressed in a long robe of 
dark-brown cloth, with a great black head-dress of the same material. 
Prom two to five strands of beads, with immense crosses on them, 
hang from his neck, while in his right hand he generally carries a 
large string of beads made from bones, with a crucifix of the same 
material. His hair is from one to three feet in length, and vies with 
his full beard in trying to cover his body. The monks are attached to 
the church, all the buildings of which are owned and run by the Gov- 
ernment, and live in the attics or basements of the annexes. 

Some of the monks have shown great musical talent. The 
finest vocal music I have heard on the Continent was by a choir of 
monks here. Their voices were rich, round, full and highly cultivated > 
and the music flowed in regular waves like echoes from machinery — 
not a discord, no rasping, but perfect harmony. Others of the monks 
develop mechanical ingenuity. They all look after funerals and alms 
gathering. They live quietly, are not widely known and move about 
like cats with muffled feet. 

There is industry on every hand. And the manual labor in the 
public places is not confined to the male sex. Women work on the 
streets with the men, shoveling, using the pick-ax, or driving teams ; 
and they labor every day in the week. Nicholson pavements were 
being put down. The blocks were of wood, and the foreman had a 
novel scheme by which to compel all the men to do the same amount 
of work. When the blocks are put down and covered with sand they 
must be pounded in evenly. The men worked in squads of ten or 
twelve. If pounding or picking is to be done the foreman strikes 
first ; then the second strikes ; then the third, and so on till the last, 
sledges and picks coming down in such rapid succession that the last 
has struck by the time the first has raised his implement. Thus 
perfect time, like clockwork, is kept. The rattling strokes are 
musical, too. 

Laborers receive but one and a-half roubles a day in St. Peters- 
burg for the most wearing work. For ordinary labor but one rouble 
is paid, while thousands work for six roubles a month. Domestics 
receive less than two roubles a month. But this is good pay com- 
pared to that received by the soldiers in Russia. A private gets four 
roubles a year, and the commissioned officers from half to two-thirds 
the amount paid privates in the American army. 




URING an hour's stroll through the streets of the Capi- 
tal or any of the larger Russian cities almost every class 
of people on the face of the earth is met ; but one en- 
counters none more picturesque and interesting than the drosky 
driver. 

This individual is the sole cabman, the popular hackman, and 
the protector of the stranger. The drosky and carriage are the only 
conveyances in Russia. There are no such things as omnibuses, 
hacks, hansoms, etc., found so generally on the Continent and in 
England. 

The drosky driver is the typical Russian. His vehicle is owned 
by a capitalist, who hires it out, horse and all, for three roubles a day. 
The driver charges, on the average, fifty copecks an hour, and, 
therefore, has reasonable possibilities ; but there is so much inclem- 
ent weather, when riding in an open vehicle is not pleasant, that he 
has a hard time making both ends meet. He backs up in front of a 
hotel, market, railroad station or other public place, and sleeps till 
he is called by a customer. When he first awakens you are impressed 



48 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

with his apparent utter lack of intelligence. His hair is two inches 
thick, cut square around, and parted slightly in the middle. Gener- 
ally it is of a dirty light blonde. His eyes are milky, light and in- 
sipid, the complexion sallow, beard short, light, and often thin. As 
he straightens up on the narrow, low seat of his drosky he rubs his 
eyes, grunts, receives orders obediently, and is at once all energy. 
Nobody is more industrious or faithful, and no one more agile. 

Most of the drosky drivers were slaves till the emancipation 
proclamation of Alexander II. was issued, about 1861, and not one in 
a hundred can read his own name. But he remembers locations, and 
is familiar with every foot of ground within his radius. I remem- 
ber the first day I was at St. Petersburg to have handed a driver an 
address written in Russian ; it was that of an official. 

"What's that you are giving him?" inquired my courier. 

I told him. 

" Don't ever expect a drosky driver to read anything. That fel- 
low couldn't recognize his own name if it were printed in letters a 
foot long. Don't you see," continued the courier, pointing, "that 
all the signs are illustrated here, and that there is little of names and 
business in letters? Very few people read here." 

The drosky driver seldom has a family, and his horse's bed is his 
own. It is nearly always a fine, sleek animal, and the whip is never 
used, although he drives very hard. The animal is full of vigor, and 
is used to fast steps. The only ' ' coaxer " is a knot in the end of the 
reins. This the driver brings down upon the horse frequently and 
with effect. You have no difficulty in any Russian city in securing a 
fast drive. 

For a week in St. Petersburg I employed a drosky with a pretty, 
glossy black horse, and the usual gait through the principal thorough- 
fares was about twelve miles an hour. It was royal fun, and made 
the right of way, but was risky business. 

There is great excitability about a Russian. He loses his head 
upon the slightest provocation. If you ask a drosky driver the sec- 
ond time how much his charges are he becomes excited and talks so 
loud and fast that the people in the next block run to see who 
is hurt. 

I was .driving one day down the principal street in St. Petersburg 
with a member of the Privy Council. The carriage went at a rapid 
pace. Directly we heard a great noise behind us. We looked, and 
the people for two hundred yards in the street and on the sidewalks 



MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. 49 

in our rear were standing still and yelling at us. I asked my distin- 
guished friend what the matter was. He replied that he did not 
know. 

Our carriage rolled on at the same rapid pace. We didn't stop. 
Finally the confusion became so great that the people in front of us 
began to pause and gaze at us. The workmen who were putting down 
the Nicholson pavement on either hand stopped and yelled at us. 
Again I asked my friend what the trouble was, saying we were making 
a sensation. He looked around once more, and sure enough the whole 
great, broad street was full of people, directing their voices at our 
carriage. They pointed at us and made exclamations that even the 
native beside me could not interpret. 

Five mounted policemen now turned into the street and began to 
ride us down. They cried, " stoif" il stoi/ ,} which means "stop." 

Now my friend turned pale. He asked me if my passport had 
been returned to the hotel with the chief's signature — his leave for me 
to stay. I replied that it had been sent to the officer, but that as I 
had not received it I did not know if it was all right. 

"I expect," said he, "that these officers are after you," and he. 
called to the driver to stoi. 

When the officers came alongside I unconsciously raised up, 
ready to be taken into custody, and looked to see which one had the 
handcuffs. 

"See there !" exclaimed one of the mounted gendarmes. 

My friend and I looked at. the side of our horses, expecting to 
see signs of a crime, and saw a hold-back strap hanging loose ! The 
driver got down and buckled the strap, the officers rode back ; we 
drove on, and business in the Broadway of St. Petersburg was re- 
sumed. 

It is no wonder that the poor, unschooled drosky drivers are un- 
able to read their own language in print, as it is the most complex, 
complicated stuff ever concocted to worry a foreigner. In the first 
place, the alphabet has thirty-six letters, and nearly all the words are 
-so long that the original design seems to have been to exhaust the 
alphabet as frequently as possible. In form the letters are akin to 
the Arabic, Greek, English and Turkish, while in sound they remind 
one of no other language. However, the Russians, considering their 
limited education, take an enviable rank in music and the arts gene- 
rally. To the eye stupid, filthy, and slothful as a race, they have 
shown genius, neatness and energy in many individual cases. 



50 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

No institution in the entire empire has suffered from the oppres- 
sion of the despotism like the press. There are no real newspapers 
in Russia, on account of the illiteracy and the terrible censorship of 
the Tsar. In Moscow, with half a million of people, I doubt if there 
are 30,000 readers. When a newspaper publishes an article which 
reflects upon the crown or any official of the empire or member of the 
royal family, its publication is suppressed, its property confiscated, 
and its editor exiled. The effect is to caution writers and bring 
about security before an article is in type. So when anything is 
written for publication which the editor is not sure will pass the 
scrutiny of the censor, he. first sends it to that official for examina- 
tion. The censor is always busy, and ever deliberate. Sometimes 
he does not return a manuscript under a fortnight or three weeks, and 
seldom under a week. If it contains news, of course it is stale. But 
stale news is much preferable to the risks incident to unguarded pub- 
lication. In Russia, as in all other countries, the best news relates 
to war, politics and government. 

During my stay at St. Petersburg Katkoff, the world-famed editor 
of the Moscow Gazette, died. He was Tsar Alexander's counselor, 
and the English press commented upon his demise in an uncompli- 
mentary manner. He was held responsible for much of the oppres- 
sion, the absolutism. 

All of these newspapers, when brought into the Russian postoffice, 
suffered at the hands of the censor. The offensive articles were oblit- 
erated. A printer's ink-roller was passed over the column, leaving it 
a dense black spot. 

To get a cigar anywhere in Russia you must buy a whole box. 
It frequently happens, however, that the whole box contains but one 
cigar. Boxes are never broken, and the purchaser can make an 
examination of the weed only through the glass cover. You cannot 
tell till you buy and are permitted to break the seal just what the 
article is. Every box of cigars or cigarettes has a glass lid or cover, 
and- you can see the article 3^ou purchase, but cannot feel or smell it. 

Generally when you ask for a cigar a large box is handed to you. 
When you have selected the quality desired from a number of boxes 
laid out for inspection, you make known how many } t ou desire and 
the dealer — the tobac fabricker — gives you a box containing the exact 
number. The boxes of one, two, three, five, six, etc., are made of 
every quality. Most of the cigars are very bad, the domestic manu- 
facture generally intolerable, and the price is high. 



COUNTING BY A MACHINE. 5 I 

This mode of guarding against evasions of the high taxes on 
cigars has been followed a long time. It grew out of the proposition 
laid down by Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and other Tsars, who 
held that all Russians were thieves and should be watched. I have 
heard a Russian proverb which declares that ' ' our Saviour would 
rob also if His hands were not pierced." The guard kept 
over the sale of tobacco is extremely close. While nearly every- 
body smokes, very few chew, and chewing tobacco is rarely found 
on sale. 

I have been in four or five of the largest banks in Russia,- and 
many of the most extensive commercial and railroad houses, and 
nowhere have I seen figuring done, by pen or pencil as it is done in 
America and England. The Chinese counting-machine, seen occa- 
sionally in the hands of John and Jap in the United States, is every- 
where. If you buy a pair of socks for fifty copecks and a handkerchief 
for seventy-five copecks the shopkeeper, even the brightest, oldest 
and most experienced, has to go to his machine to learn the result — 
one rouble, twenty-five copecks. I venture that there are not a dozen 
bankers in Russia who would attempt to discount any draft, or issue a 
letter of credit, or change a ten-rouble note into copecks, without 
pushing back and forward for some time the strings of colored buttons 
in his machine, indicating numerals. But it is wonderful how adept 
some of them are in the use of the counting-machine. You may buy 
a bill of goods ever so large. The salesman keeps the machine beside 
him, pushing out the numerals as the purchases are made, and the 
instant you call for your bill he repeats the total. The Russians were 
taught most of their business knowledge by the Chinese and Turks,, 
and these counting-machines are yet indispensable in all Oriental! 
places of business. 

In no civilized country on the face of the earth are more primi- 
tive implements in general use than in Russia. On one occasion I 
went around to a "machine shop." It was a place where all kinds 
of machinery are repaired and most of the domestic implements in 
common use are made. One of the principal pieces of machinery 
described and you comprehend the character of the establishment. 
An old-fashioned grindstone, four feet in diameter, was the "forger." 
While one man turned the crank which gave the stone revolutions, 
the other, seated above it, held on the implement in the course of 
repair or manufacture. In this manner axes, plowshares, scythe- 
blades, etc., were reduced and given shape and edge. The blast 



52 



A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



furnace was a simple pile of cinders, and the fire was kept aglow by 
hand-bellows operated by a small boy. 



» *■ * T*» 




THE MACHINIST'S EORGE. 



The same precautions against fire are taken in Moscow and St. 
Petersburg to-day that were in use a century ago. Scores of fire- 
towers are everywhere seen. They run up seventy-five to one hun- 
dred feet, are built like a light-house, with winding stairway, and 
have a platform all around at the top, where the watchman patrols, 
day and night. If a fire is discovered a signal is given and the fire 



SHOPS KEPT CIvKAN. 53 

department turns out. It was only recently that St. Petersburg, with 
hundreds of millions of Government property, secured a steam fire- 
engine. And this is a poor, old-fashioned affair. The hand-engine 
does service here yet, as in most other cities in the empire. When a 
fire breaks out the streets are cleared for such a department display 
as an American village would make ; people go wild, talk loud, get in 
the way, and when the fire burns out the fire department goes back 
to watch the towers for another signal. 

The stranger wonders how, in St. Petersburg, for instance, the 
markets and shops are kept as clean as they are, when the water is 
so filthy. One can smell the water of the Neva, which furnishes the 
supply for drinking and household purposes, for a mile on an ordinary 
summer day. It discounts the water that used to get green in the 
Potomac flats at Washington. A native tells me the reason things 
are clean. Every day a health officer goes about inspecting the 
shops and houses. Gendarmes assist. If there is any stench or 
decay discernible, or any filth of any kind, the place is arbitrarily 
closed, and kept closed for weeks or months. There is no recourse 
no help for it. Cleanliness in the commercial centers is an imperative 
necessity. Many people have been ruined in business by having 
their houses closed by the officers. They can never learn what is 
wanted. The reply is : "You must keep the premises clean." How 
clean is not explained. 

Quite as suspicious means are employed in collecting the mails 
as in controlling the sale of cigars. A letter posted in a street- 
box is no more likely to come into the hands of the mail-car- 
rier or collector than cigars are to pass through the hands of the 
vendor. The men who collect the mail have sacks of sheet-iron, 
which they first fasten under the street-box. . Then they unlock the 
side of the box sufficiently to crowd in a small sheet-iron case. The 
latter pushes down and out the case containing the deposited mail, 
and it is locked. When the mail gets into the bag there are double 
locks and double security against theft by the collector. 

The tax collector seems to be the only person the Tsar will in- 
trust with any of the many revenues of the crown. The mode of 
collecting and paying taxes in Russia and the basis upon which they 
are paid differ as far from those in the United States as can be im- 
agined. 

Improvements are seldom made except by the noble families 
who "stand in" with the crown and get exemptions. There is a 



54 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

revenue department, like the Treasury Department at Washington, 
and a retinue of collectors of internal, customs, and direct taxes. 
The people pay Government taxes direct, and a city tax also. The 
former is to the Government collector ; the latter to those of the mu- 
nicipalities. The Governors of the cities — empire officers— disburse 
the municipal taxes as they wish, and being Government officers 
their funds are half interchangeable ; that is to say, the funds of a city 
may be taken for the Government, but not vice versa. Thus, since 
the Tsar has no one to account to for disbursements, he may draw on 
the entire resources of his very great country when he wants funds 
for private or public purposes. There is no danger of being beaten 
at the polls for a second term or indicted for malfeasance in office, 
and it would be worth a life to hint at such a thing as dishonesty in 
Russian official circles. 

Taxes are based upon the estimate of the collector as to what 
can be paid. There were appraisements of property, and there are 
appraisements yet. The lists of nobles, however, paj^ only enough to 
keep up the appearance of paying. The middle classes — those who 
have enough property in farms, etc., to make them a living when 
worked, and those who generally become Nihilists on account of the 
despotism— pay the burden. 

The tax collector watches closely the property of these people, 
and if they reroof a house, paint, or build a new structure or a fence, 
a " reappraisement " is directly made, though the man may have just 
paid his taxes, and additional taxes are demanded. The}^ must be 
paid instantly. The laws about confiscating property of persons who 
refuse to pay taxes are simply awful. If the property-owner makes 
any fuss about the matter he is classed as a conspirator, a conniver 
against the Government, and some fine day or night he is called upon 
by officers who look like innocent citizens. He leaves his family ' ' to 
go to town," and next he is seen in the spirit land. He goes to 
the shooting-gallery or Siberia, where he is appointed to a position as 
marksman's target. He does not last long. 

A Federal officer in the United States can trifle with the civil- 
service law with far greater safety than can a Russian speak of ex- 
cessive taxes or delay when the amount is named. 

Owing to this arbitrary and unjust system of taxation and dis- 
covery of improvements there is very little progress made. People 
never improve if they can help it. The principle upon which taxa- 
tion and tax collection are based is suspicion. The Tsar believes his 



MONEY MADE BY FOREIGNERS. 55 

subjects are dishonest, and that they are ever trying to cover up their 
property. Under this system it is a wonder how shopkeeping and 
manufacturing are made to pay, and why Americans sometimes come 
to Russia to establish business. I so expressed myself to a cotton 
manufacturer, once a Bostonian, and he said : 

' ' Americans and Englishmen engage in nothing in Russia unless 
there are enormous profits in it. The unprofitable business is left to 
natives, who do not understand our trade. I know a large manufac- 
turer here who came from Massachusetts, whose works have been 
burned out almost annually, and who makes loads of money ; but the 
tax collectors don't know it, because the}^ are ignorant of his affairs. 
They cannot comprehend a large business. You have no doubt dis- 
covered that all the\ shopkeepers have several prices for an article. 
It shows their desperation. They are driven to cheating and misrep- 
resentation to come out even ; and the example is set by the highest 
power in the empire." 

Since the determination of the Tsar to drive out all alien manu- 
facturers it is not probable that the tax collector will long be in igno- 
rance respecting the ways of the Yankee. 



CHAPTER VIII. 




HE Russians are proverbially fond of 
sports. 

In some of the frigid regions 
they hunt the bear, wolf, elk, and 
many species of the smaller game, 
and gather in parties for the pur- 
pose, making their enjoyment a great 
social feature. The royalists, be- 
fore so much feeling was engendered against 
the English, invited the subjects of the 
Queen to join them in their annual chase, 
and there were hunting parties of as exten- 
sive proportions as in other parts of the Con- 
tinent. 

There are armies of Siberian blood-hounds 
and the ordinary fox or wolf-hounds in every 
community. The peasants usually keep a 
pair of hounds for the purpose of driving off 
wolves, which are the bane of those who 
must cross the undeveloped country. Usu- 
ally wolves appear in the greatest number in 
the improved country in the winter, and at 
times they gather in such large packs and 
become so fierce that great care must be ex- 
ercised to keep them from devouring not only 
all of the live stock, but the people them- 
selves. 
Many times have thrilling stories been related 
to me of whole families being devoured by wolves, 
and even hunting parties becoming their prey. It 
is said that thirty or forty thousand people are 
killed every year in Russia by wolves ; yet the 
Government takes no steps to exterminate them. 
In the region of Urkovsky wolves at times become so fierce that 
organizations of citizens turn out to slaughter them. Once there was 



HUNTING WOLVES. 5 f 

a bounty of thirty copecks placed upon every wolf scalp taken in 
that district, and the stories which are told in St. Petersburg and Mos- 
cow of the slaughter that followed upon the proposition made by the 
Government are almost incredible. 

Somewhere I have been told the story of a wolf-hunting expedi- 
tion which is extremely thrilling, and which gives a pretty fair illus- 
tration of the average wolf-killing parties the Russians organize, with 
the assistance of visitors, almost every winter. 

An American and an Englishman in one of the villages in the 
region of Urkovsky organized a wolf hunt, which in its results 
should go down to history, if the stories concerning it are true. The 
hunters had constructed a little house on runners. It was about the. 
size of one of the photograph cars which are run through the United 
States on wheels and visit country places. In the structure were 
provided bunks, a stove, and other conveniences. Port-holes were 
on the sides and in the floor. The doors were made so as to slide. 
This structure was fitted up with fuel and provisions sufficient to last 
half a month. 

Great curiosity and interest were shown by the natives of the vil- 
lage as the three men — the American and the Englishman taking with 
them a native — left the community and pulled their car into the very 
heart of the wolf country. They went right out on the plain ; were 
armed with shotguns and revolvers. It was in January, and the win- 
ter being severe the wolves were more numerous and voracious than 
ever before. 

Raw meat was taken for bait, and a gallon of beef's blood was 
carried along. The latter, when the wolf region was reached, was 
scattered in the snow. 

Finally the little car was stopped away out on the prairie, and 
two of the party went forth to sprinkle the blood on the snow and in 
trails, each one leading to the improvised fort. The details of this 
daring expedition are best told in the language of one of the men 
who participated in it. 

"On our way back to the car," said he, " we left a bloody trail, 
and flung out a piece of meat at intervals. We had not yet reached 
the car when we heard the howl of a wolf, and in five minutes we 
could see a dozen of them scampering about. It was an hour, how- 
ever, before one of them came within reach of our guns. Then the 
sun, which had been brightly shining all the forenoon, was hidden by 
clouds, and a snow squall came up to still further darken the heavens. 



58 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

"The howling of wolves could now be heard in every direction, 
and pretty soon they followed the trail of blood in until we all got a 
shot, and each tumbled a wolf over. From the instant they fell to 
the time their bones were clean picked by their companions was not 
over forty seconds. 

' ' It was something marvelous to watch the proceeding. The 
mouthful apiece whetted their appetites and stimulated their ferocity, 
and the whole pack made a rush at the car. The beasts no doubt 
took it for a travelers' sledge, and the attack was surprising in its 
fierceness. The number of wolves was not less than five hundred, 
and for the first five minutes we were seriously alarmed. The}^ were 
over, under and around us, howling, barking, snarling, growling and 
fighting in a way to give us chills, and, had our car not been securely 
fastened to the broad, heavy runners, they would have upset it in 
their rushes. The exterior had been sheathed with sheet iron. We 
had objected to this expense, but had finally accepted the advice of 
one of the wolf hunters. We now realized the wisdom of this pre- 
caution. But for the sheathing the wolves would have eaten their 
way into the car in a dozen places. 

' ' Such a fierce and unexpected attack rattled us for a few min- 
utes ; but after a bit we began firing buckshot into the pack as fast as 
we could load and pull trigger. Then it was pandemonium let loose. 
The howls, yells, yelps, growls and cries redoubled, because every 
victim of our guns was being devoured by his companions. We fired 
thirty-four charges of buckshot into the mass, killing at least double 
that number of wolves, and then the pack began to scatter, and ten min- 
utes later not a living wolf was in sight. It was a horrible-looking scene 
around us. Every wolf but one had been devoured. Tufts of fur and 
bloody bones were scattered over the snow for a hundred feet in every 
direction, and there was not a foot of snow without its blood stain. 
There was a wounded wolf who had escaped the fangs of the pack, 
probably because their appetites were satisfied for the time being. 
He had been shot through the hips, and could no longer use his hind 
legs. He was a very lame fellow, and we soon had reason to believe 
that he was still dangerous. The beast was about fifty steps away 
when we descended from the car, and the minute he caught sight of 
us a great transformation took place. All the fur along his spine 
stood up, his eyes blazed like fire, and he uttered such fierce growls 
that the three of us raised our guns. The brute could drag himself 
over the snow crust with his forelegs, and as we stood looking at him 



RUSSIAN HUNTING LODGE. 



59 



he began hitching himself forward to attack us. We let him come 
within five or six feet of us before knocking him over. From his ac- 
tions there is no doubt he would have boldly attacked the three of us 
had he been less desperately wounded. His scalp was the only one 
we saved out of the sixty or seventy shots. Not another wolf was 
seen until night came down. Then they gathered around us seem- 
ingly by the thousands. IyOoking out from one of the small sliding 
doors, we were reminded of a great drove of sheep cantering over 
rough ground. Not one of them was still for a minute, and a free 
fight was always in order. 







their weight. When we 



" Our house stood six or 
seven feet high, and they 
leaped over it back and forth as easily 
as they could have cleared a log. At 
one time several of them engaged in 
a fight over our heads, and -we had 
serious fears of the roof breaking under 
finally opened fire I honestly believe 
there were two thousand wolves within pistol shot. Our house 
was the center of a circle of leaping, howling, fighting, growl- 
ing and 3^elping beasts, each one of which seemed bent on 
getting nearer. It was a bright moonlight night, and we did 
not waste a shot. One could have shut his eyes and been sure of 
killing or wounding at every discharge. We limited our shots to 
twenty-five each, and fired slowly so as not to heat our guns. I be- 
lieve we killed a hundred wolves with the sevent}^-five shots. If one 



60 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

was wounded enough to cause a flow of blood, the unwounded would 
tear him to pieces with even more ferocity than they displayed toward 
the dead. Soon after we had ceased firing the great bulk of the 
wolves retired, to be seen or heard of no more during the night. A 
few who had probably failed to secure a part of the horrible feast 
remained in the vicinity to growl over the bloody bones and utter an 
occasional howl, and after midnight we slept soundly. 

"We were afterward told by peasants living eight or ten miles 
away that packs of wolves passed their farms at dusk on the way to 
the general rendezvous. Some of those surrounding our house prob- 
ably came twelve or fifteen miles. The keeper of the hotel saw fifty 
or more go by his place, and they were in such a hurry and so occupied 
with the project on foot that they passed within twenty feet of a stray 
colt without halting to attack it. 

" On the second day of our stay we were witnesses of a dreadful 
tragedy. It was a cloudy day, with occasional snow squalls, but no 
wolves came near us. At about two o'clock, while my companions 
were lying down, I opened the slide to take a look over the highway 
toward Toblosky. For four miles the highway was over a plain, and 
one could see every moving object. Then the road was lost in a pine 
forest, which stretched along for a couple of miles. I had scarcely 
pulled back the slide when an object came in view on the road at the 
edge of the forest, and in half a minute I had made out horses^ A 
sledge was coming our way, the first which had passed since we took 
up our station. We had a pair of field-glasses in the car, and I had 
no sooner adjusted the focus than I uttered a shout which brought my 
companions to their feet. There were three horses abreast, and they 
were coming at a dead run, while on both sides of the sledge I could 
make out fierce wolves jumping up. The team was a powerful one, 
and coming very fast, and in a minute more I made out that the 
sledge was surrounded by a great pack of wolves. The driver was 
lashing the horses in a frenzied way, while the smoke and flame and 
faint reports proved that the occupants of the sledge were using fire- 
arms to defend themselves. We had two or three minutes in which 
to act. Each of us had the idea that the sledge would halt at our 
car for protection, or that the people in it would certainly leap out at 
that point. We opened one of the doors, got down our guns and all 
were ready to leap out when a dreadful sound reached our ears. It 
was the shriek of a horse. I say shriek, for it was nothing more nor 
less — a shriek of terror and despair. The cause was plain when we 



TERRIBLE WORK OF WOLVES. 61 

looked out. One of the horses had fallen when the sledge was hardly 
twenty rods away, and the other two had been dragged down with 
him. We could not see them, however, for the wolves. We just 
caught sight of two or three human figures in furs, heard the reports 
of pistols and shouts of human voices, and then the terrible din made 
by the wolves drowned all other sounds. 

' ' We should have sprung out and gone to the assistance of the 
beset travelers, but before we could move foot our car was surrounded 
by wolves, and a monster got his head and shoulders into the door- 
way and hung there for a few seconds despite the kicks from our 
heavy boots. We opened the slides and looked out, but all was over 
then. The carcasses of the horses had been picked to the bone, the 
harnesses eaten, and the robes from the sledge were being torn apart as 
the wolves raced around. We saw pieces of bloody clothing scattered 
about, and we knew that the travelers had met a horrible fate. 

"Afterward we learned that there were four men in the sledge. 
The pack of wolves, which seemed to be larger than any which had 
yet gathered, hung about until we knocked over at least fifty of them, 
and then drew off to return at midnight. We kept our position for 
nine days before the men would come with the horses, and, although 
we preserved the scalps of only three wolves, we estimated the num- 
ber of killed at over eight hundred." 

Besides the wolf chase there are gunning sports. Great parties 
of Russians frequently form colonies, and usually reside in portions 
of the country and engage in reindeer hunting. The encounters be- 
tween the hunters and old stags and the battles with the grizzly afford 
an amusement the hearty natives greatly enjoy. The Russian knows 
no physical fear. 

The markets are well filled during the summer and autumn with 
birds bagged by sportsmen in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. They 
have what corresponds with the American plover, partridge, prairie 
chicken and geese. There is a large following after the sports of 
Nimrod. With the exception of some scenes along the Seine, near 
Paris, I have seen more women and children fishing in the Neva than 
any other part of the world. 




URING more than seven months in every year the 
entire face of the earth in Russia is covered with 
snow. The buildings are also covered with it, and 
the trees look like great stacks of snow. Were the 
trees of the heavy, broad-topped kind seen in Amer- 
ica, they would all be broken down ; but they are here very slender 
and afford little room for excessive weight. 

Snow begins to fall around St. Petersburg early in September. 
Then the ground and water courses freeze, and do not thaw till May. 
Sometimes the snow covers everything for eight full months. The 
cold is terrible. The average temperature is what the Russians call 
"thirty degrees of cold," which means 30 below zero. Not infre- 
quently it goes down to 50 and 55 , and I am told that every two or 
three years there is a cold snap, lasting from three to six days, when 
the spirit in the thermometer freezes. As this never happens until 
the temperature falls to 70 or 75 ° below zero, no one can tell exactly 
how cold it does get. It is then so cold you can see a glass of water 
when thrown out into the air freeze into ice before it strikes the ground. 
An American going about the streets of St. Petersburg or Moscow 
during the frigid months is likely to have his nose or ears frozen. As 
these get dangerously cold they turn white, and the natives observing 
them will run up to you on the streets, slap your nose or ears, and tell 
you to go indoors. People dress in furs from head to foot. Great 
headdresses of furs, with long capes covering the face and shoulders, 
are generally worn. Holes are left for the e3 T es and mouth, and 
around the latter great cakes of ice form. 



OBTAINING WATER IN WINTER. 65 

The first fall of snow is generally accompanied by winds which 
pierce one to the marrow. It makes a scene of desolation, leaving 
the tops of the little trees about the city uncovered, but carpeting the 
ground and buildings. 

It is now that the preparations are made for procuring the supply 
of water from the Neva, as the river is frozen over and the water- 
works are closed. Those who carry their own water go to the river 
and cut and mark their holes in the ice. Water is carried in pails of 
Russia iron, the bale of which is caught in a notch of a long, swing- 
ing pole, and this rests across the shoulder, so that one person may 
carry two buckets. The water in the ice-hole instantly freezes when 
it is left undisturbed ; but sometimes a whole community uses one 
place, and, as it is kept in a turmoil during the day, freezes but lit- 
tle till night. A water-hole in the ice may get ten or fifteen feet deep 
before spring. The object in early cutting the ice for water is two- 
fold : the way to it is kept clear and the ice is not permitted to freeze 
so thick as" it otherwise would. In many places in Russia the ice is 
ten feet thick. 

Often people carry water for miles when the mercury is down 
to 30 below zero, and the contents of the buckets are solid 
masses when they reach their destination. But this may be a bless- 
ing in disguise. The Neva is a filthy river. The water is almost as 
dirty and smells much worse than that in the Chicago river in the 
metropolis of Illinois. The freezing and thawing processes have the 
effect of purifying and killing the animal life in it. A large propor- 
tion of the inhabitants of the principal cities are supplied with water 
by men who run water-carts. These consist of rough old vehicles 
with large barrels on them. 

By the early part of October snow is so deep that farewell is bidden 
to all external views. People put on their snow-glasses to save their 
eyes, don the heaviest wearing apparel, and go about unbroken parts 
of the cities or country on snowshoes. If there have been heavy 
rains during the fall the ice crop may be gathered from the lowlands 
and streets on the level of the river — all is a glare of ice. If there 
were long and heated summers in Russia the ice crop would be an 
important one ; but as ice is only needed during three or four months 
in the year, not very much importance is attached to it. The ice har- 
vest, however, takes place in the very heart of the cities, it being 
found in abundance everywhere. It is hauled to the houses, where 
it is stored, on sleds. 



6 4 



A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 



Winter is the gay season in St. Petersburg, and there is little do- 
ing in society till then. The streets are kept as smooth as a floor by 
immense bodies of laborers, who work day and night. When a fresh 
snow falls they roll it smoothly and compactly down on the principal 

streets, so that early in the 
morning, if the snow has 
fallen at night, you can go 
about with polished boots 
and not get them soiled. 
The rough edges and knobs 
are cut down as carefully 
as though the streets were 
of everlasting stone, and 
the shavings and pieces 




are promptly 
carted outside 
the city, like 
noxious garbage 
in summer-time. 
Everybody 
owns one, two 
or three fine --v-:- .--. ■■-= 

horses , and 

magnificent sleighs are as common as cutters in America. 

It is in the winter that all the horse-racing takes place in Russia. 
The rivers about the cities are the scene. Many of the bridges are 
pontoons and are taken down and put away as soon as the rivers 
freeze, so that sleighs and sledges pass over on the ice without hin- 
drance. The ice is kept scrupulously clean, is smooth and level, and 
horses trot down in the thirties and run in two minutes or less. What 
they could do on an ordinary race-track their owners do not know. 
There is no racing in summer-time. 

The popular amusement is sleighing. It outranks all else. 
There is no such thing as baseball here. Occasionally there is a 
game of cricket, and a few practice archery ; but everybody goes 
sleighing daily in the winter, and all who can afford it have horses for 



MAGNIFICENT TURNOUTS. 



65 



racing. The turnouts in the summer on the boulevards at Chicago, 
in Central Park, New York, the parks in Iyondon and in the Bois de 
Boulogne or the Champs Blysees at Paris, are not to be compared to 
those seen in the streets of St. Petersburg or on the Neva in the win- 
ter. The horses here are the handsomest in the world — long, grace- 
ful blacks, with immense manes and flowing tails which sweep the 
ground, all perfectly clean and glossy. The sleighs are very beauti- 
ful, and are drawn sometimes by five horses abreast. Four horses to 
a sleigh are common. 

When the snow disappears in the spring the streets present a hor- 
rid sight. The accumulations of seven or eight months are seen, and 
weeks of the hardest labor are re- 
quired to remove them. It is then 
that the lazy, filthy Caucasian, 
perhaps from miles distant, comes 
in with his wagon and long-haired 
cows or steers to haul the garbage 
away. He puts up side-boards and 
takes an immense load of filth. 
He is paid two roubles a day for 
the work of himself and yoke of 
steers or cows ; but he gets the gar- 
bage for his master's land. 

The streets are covered with 
boulders the size of a man's fist. 
The rock is laid down in the black 

mud, which works through ; and as the frost comes from ^he ground a 
terrible mess is the result. 

The people in the country do not fare so well as those in the city 
during the winter. They have stock to feed and fires to provide. 
The sheds for the cattle are made of straw and poles, are low on the 
ground and generally comfortable. But a serious difficulty is en- 
countered in securing water for the stock. Sometimes the wells and 
streams for miles are frozen to the bottom. In such cases the snow is 
melted, and the peasants drink this and eat dried fish and meats till 
whole families perish from scurvy. 

Travel in the country during the winter months is almost wholly 
by means of snowshoes. The snow is so deep and the travel so in- 
frequent that horses are not available. Reindeer and dogs are used 
when the snow gets a crust strong enough to bear their weight. Some- 




66 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

times a sledge drawn by reindeer or dogs breaks through the snow 
and the party is not seen till spring, and then in a decomposed condi- 
tion. 

A more desolate scene cannot be imagined than a Russian vil- 
lage in January. The little straw-covered huts belch forth strands of 
smoke, and the tops can just be seen above the snow — or rather not 
the tops, but curvatures representing them. The horses, cows, sheep 
and family sometimes live under the same roof — no floor but the 
ground ; a poor, smoking, cold fire in the center of the hut, and men, 
women, children, dogs and all the farm animals huddling and shiver- 
ing around to keep life and body together. 

There is not a very pleasant atmosphere in the houses during 
winter time. The extreme cold requires the rooms to be almost her- 
metically sealed. 

Nowhere are the windows in the houses made with a view to the 
American plan of ventilation. Instead of the sash sliding up and 
down it is stationary. They have in the right-hand upper corner of 
the lower sash one pane that opens out or in, and this furnishes ven- 
tilation. The sash, which is double and three or four inches apart 
is padded so it could not be opened if desired. The atmosphere gets 
so thick at times it can be seen. 

All bedrooms are provided with two beds if two persons occupy 
them. Husband and wife even are separated. I presume this is be- 
cause the foul atmosphere makes much restlessness. I know it was 
true with myself. 




CHAPTER X, 



OWEYER interesting the strange scenes in the streets 
of the cities may appear to an American's eyes, the 
sensation seems to increase when he emerges from 
the city and goes into the country to study rural life.- 
Here are found more than three-fourths of the entire, 
population. Only about two per cent, of the peasants can read and 
write and few have the ordinary instincts of man or woman. They 
are superstitious, ignorant and stupid. But this is not to be wondered 
at. They have been a free people scarcely longer than the blacks of 
America, it being during the troublous slavery times in the United 1 
States that Alexander II. issued a ukase giving the white slaves of 
Russia freedom. They were not slaves in the sense of being owned, 
body and soul, by their landlords. The land which they occupied 
was the property of the nobility, and none were permitted, when once 
located on a farm, to leave it permanently or to go beyond a certain 
distance, even temporarily. 

No schools were provided for the peasants during the time of 
slavery ; none are provided now, and then, as at the present time, the 
design of the Tsar, influenced by the nobles, was to keep them in 
the most dense condition of servitude and ignorance. Their earnings 
on the farms are gauged by the landlords, so they have just enough 
on which to live. As no means were provided for the elevation of 
the slaves when they became free, they have remained exactly where 
they were found, and for all practical purposes they might just as, 



6S A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

well have remained slaves. It is generally believed that the Tsar's 
act in emancipating them was to gain diplomatic favor abroad. 

A peasant's house is a very rude structure and contains none of 
the elements of comfort, healthfulness or cleanliness. His allowance 
of furniture, food and clothing being fixed by the landlord, he lives 
scantily. The building is usually of pine or cedar logs about ten 
inches in diameter, barked and set neatly together. It is one story 
in height, with one room, generally has three or four windows, with 
one sash in each, and they are protected from the outside by rude 
board shutters, which, when closed at night, make complete dark- 
ness within and ventilation miserable. The floors are of logs or 
earth, and the beds are on the floor. 

There are no stoves in a peasant's house. A stick-and-clay chim- 
ney fireplace suffices. Here warmth is secured, and the food is 
cooked in kettles. The family meal is spread on the floor and the re- 
past eaten while sitting on folded legs, tailor style. In front of many 
of these houses, which are covered with hay and poles — a rough sort 
of thatch — the traveler frequently sees a drosky from the city, the ve- 
hicle of the landlord, who pays daily visits. The peasant has very 
crude agricultural implements. He generally makes them at his own 
furnace and gives them finish and polish on his own grindstone. 
Axes, plowshares, wagon-tires, portions of harness, horseshoes, and 
everything used about a farm or stable, are finished on the grindstone. 

A crude little furnace heated with peat or pine chips and the 
grindstone comprise the manufacturing appliances of the peasant. 
His plow is a simple pole with handles on a dead level with the 
tongue, which has an offshoot downward, on which the share is nailed 
or tied. 

A plowing scene in Russia, with the rough, old frame, the crude, 
triangular or diamond-shaped share, and the tiny little furrow made, 
would be disgusting as well as pitiable to the American farmer's eyes. 
The draft or weight of the plow comes directly from the high-bowed 
names, which extend two feet above the horse's neck and are fastened 
to the collar. Instead of traces, the tongue or shafts do the pulling. 
The Russian in no walk of life has yet learned the philosophy of di- 
rect draft from the collar of the horse. All vehicles are drawn by the 
shafts or tongues, and these are fastened to the high hames or bow, 
which in turn are fastened to the collar. There are no such things as 
trace-straps or chains. Even carriages are drawn without them. 

The women in Russia do two-thirds of the work in the country. 
There are immense wheat, oat and hay fields everywhere, and in Au- 



FARM WORK MOSTLY BY WOMEN. 



69 



gust there is great activity in the country. The large majority of 
persons at work are women. They wear short dresses, plain and 
straight, and a long piece of cloth over their heads, like Arabs. The 
wheat is sown broadcast, and if not cut by the women with sickles, is 
harvested with the old-fashioned scythe, which has a ten-pound snead 
and a broad, short blade. From the snead up to the handle there is 
a wooden bow, in appearance resembling half of a heavy barrel hoop. 
This bow keeps the wheat from falling back over the scythe-handle 
and scattering. 




I have never yet seen 
a man who would deign 
to gather up, bind and 
stack the wheat or oats 
when once it was felled. 
The women must do this 
while the men do the 
many women cutting grain with 



although I have seen 

The neighbors club together in harvest and help one an 



easier work 
the scythe. 
other. 

A Russian harvesting rendezvous is quite lively, and is the scene 
of a motley crowd. The old men and young boys and girls, with 
their mothers, grandmothers and other aged women, assemble at day- 



70 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

break — about two o'clock. There are a number of horses, on which 
are carried water, food and extra implements. The horses the boys 
and men ride, while the old women walk. They always carry the 
scythes, forks and rakes back and forth every day, and work as long 
as there is daylight ; and since it is daybreak at between two and 
three in the morning and not dark till ten o'clock at night, the hours 
of labor are long. 

The forks used in the fields are made of the prongs of trees. A 
limb is selected which has at least three offshoots, and from this a 
hay or wheat fork is made. The wheat is stacked at first very like in 
America, except in the matter of cap-sheaves. Instead of three or four 
top-sheaves, just one is placed. It is turned heads down and spread so 
as to cover the entire stack. The heads of Russian wheat are long 
and slender and the grain small and red. It would be graded at Du- 
luth or Chicago as No. 2. The straw is rank and slender, and the 
yield a little more prolific than in America. It is harvested and sown 
in the same month — August. When the wheat is sufficiently matured 
it is hauled on long, slender, one-horse wagons to the windmill on the 
farm and threshed. 

The windmill which furnishes the flail-power for the threshing is 
of the same design as those found throughout Holland and Germany. 
It is double-armed — the same as the one Don Quixote set out to con- 
quer. These mills are very common around Warsaw, and are used 
for every conceivable work, the women even grinding their coffee, 
churning and washing with them. The slightest breeze sets them-go- 
ing, as their faces are turned against the wind so as to catch its full 
force. This appears to be the only labor-saving institution found in 
Russia. 

I asked a landlord why he did not introduce modern implements 
on his farms, and was informed that labor was too cheap ; besides, it 
was found advantageous to give as many people work in the country 
as possible, because if they go to the towns or cities they become 
troublesome. It will not be till the serfs leave the farms that Russia 
will have modern improvements ; and not till then will she compete 
to any great extent with the United States in supplying the wheat 
markets of Europe. 

Although ignorant and kept awa}^ from general communication, 
the peasants in Russia are becoming greatly dissatisfied with the way 
they are treated by the Government and the landowners. They look 
upon the edict issued in August, 1887, upon the subject of education, 



MAKING EDUCATION DIFFICULT. 71 

as aimed at them more especially than at any other class. The Min- 
ister of Public Education declared that he would stop the last avenue 
possible to the education of the poor classes. His proclamation will 
not permit them to enter even the private universities, and closed the 
door of the public ones by a circular to the curators of the scholastic 
circuits, announcing that " the gymnasia and progymnasia will hence- 
forth refuse to receive as pupils the children of domestic servants, 
cooks, washerwomen, small shopkeepers and others of like condition, 
whose children, with the exception perhaps of those gifted with ex- 
traordinary capacities, should not be raised from the circle in which 
they belong and thereby led, as long experience has shown, to despise 
their parents, to become discontented with their lot and irritated 
against the inevitable inequalities of existing social positions." 

The real reason why this extraordinary proclamation was issued 
was the growth of Nihilism. This the officials freely and frankly ad- 
mit. They say that as soon as the child of a peasant gets into school 
and begins to read and think he or she becomes a Nihilist and goes 
into the community whence the pupil came and spreads the infection. 
So the last channel to intelligence was thus closed. The edict was 
issued at the instance of the nobility and was intended to check the 
emigration from farms to the cities. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Village or commune life is also an interesting study in connection 
with the peasantry. Cities in the empire, as well as the countiy or- 
ganizations, are ruled with an iron hand by the Tsar ; yet those who 
chance to live in what are classed as villages have almost absolute lo- 
cal control. 

Away back in the feudal ages, when the Tsar trembled for his 
power, there was established what is known as the law governing 
communities. A commune or community in Russia means a village 
corporation. The organization of a village for local self-government 
is as simple as its power when in operation is supreme. 



■ t ;^M^m 




GOING TO THE PEOPLE'S MAEKET. 



When a community concludes to organize a village for self-gov- 
ernment a public meeting is called. An elder presides and states the 
object of the gathering. It is to elect a mir. A mir is a council or 
popular assembly of ten men. These are chosen from the body, like 
a committee on resolutions, and constitute a permanent court or tri- 
bunal for the trial of common causes embracing all penal offenses. 
Of course offenses against the Government or the crown do not come 
within even the preliminary jurisdiction of such legal bodies as these, 



VIEEAGE GOVERNMENT. 73 

for there is trial of such causes only by court-martial, which has no 
preliminary and no appeal. 

The mir, or the village, at its meeting then selects a mayor, 
known as the starosta. This officer generally serves for the good of 
the community, without salary, for there is no tax or fund from which, 
to pay him ; and as no official return to the crown is made of these 
meetings and elections, there is no procedure for the collection by law 
of any debt on account of official services. The privilege of this 
form of self-government is simply vested in villages, and they may 
avail themselves of it, and once they do so they must settle ques- 
tions pertaining to their organization themselves. There is no higher 
court to go to. Like the organization of Legislatures in the United 
States, the power of the body organization rests within the body it- 
self. 

There is a superstition that the power of the mir and the sta- 
rosta is as divine as it is supreme. It is believed that these offices 
came down from God, as they afford the only channel for popular 
voice. When a village grows to sufficient importance to become, in 
the eyes of the Tsar, a city, a Governor is appointed. Then the Gov- 
ernment, instead of the people, rules. The Governor of a city in 
Russia is closest to the crown, except members of the Cabinet ; and 
he is always selected with reference to his loyalty to the Tsar. It is, 
for instance, a much greater thing to be the Governor of St. Peters- 
burg, Moscow or Odessa than to be a member of an American Presi- 
dent's Cabinet. The power is here supreme — never an appeal — the 
salary large, the honor to the limit, and the position for life. 

Whatever the mir decides is settled. • The mir always concurs, too, 
in the decision of the starosta. If a popular question comes before the 
community, like that of some general improvement or the suppression 
of a local wrong, a public meeting is called and the starosta presides, 
while the mir sits in judgment like a jury. The verdict determines 
and there is no complaint at it. 

To grumble at or question the verdict is to rail at the infallibility 
of the crown, which puts the dissatisfied in the light of an opponent 
to the Tsar, and he is at once detected, brought to St. Petersburg, 
and finally exiled to Siberia or shot at the Fortress, according to the 
gravity of his complaint. There is no mincing. Thus it is that the 
mir is not and yet is connected with the general Government of the 
empire. It is a purely local government, with the sanction and pro- 
tection of the general Government. 



74 



A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 



Although the mir has power to do a great many things for the 
good of the community, it cannot establish schools or churches, even 
with its own money. The education and religion of the people are 
the primary cares of the general Government. Churches are built, 
supported and administered by the crown through a special tax which 
.all must meet. 




Detectives and soldiers keep out contention and discontent, and 
coerce the people into worship of a despotic general Government, 
■while the mir doles out justice locally. The inhabitants tremble 
when they speak the name of the Tsar, and possess a holy fear of 
and respect for him. Few travel beyond the confines of the com- 
mune, as all must have a new passport during January of every year. 
This costs ten roubles, which is a heavy tax for the poor man with a 
large family, every member of which must pay the tribute. Besides, 
each passport must be vised by the local officer whenever the holder 
desires to go outside the community. To this officer also must be 
shown the object in making the journey. If it is ascertained that the 
person who desires to go away is a malcontent or is suspected of con- 
spiracy, he or she is detained. There are, therefore, no spreaders of 
sedition roaming outside or inside the country. 



VIIvIyAGK MARKSMEN. 75 

Russian families are generally large. The children soon mature 
and are early earning their own livelihood. Many families consist of 
fifteen children. The infants are bandaged closely, like those of the 
Swiss, so as to prevent bow-legs ; and when they grow up for ten or 
twelve years are straight, well-developed, and are ready for the battle 
of life. 

Some of the villages are peopled by gardeners and manufactu- 
rers, who supply the markets of the cities. There are markets here 
and at Moscow which are run almost solely by the villagers. The 
People's Markets generally mean markets by the producers, and are 
managed by those who live in the villages 'roundabout. 

It is nothing for a villager to travel all night to market five rou- 
bles' worth of garden truck. 

The transportation by the village marketman is through the me- 
dium of ox-carts. There is usually an open field hard by a city or a 
market where the peasant's oxen and cart stand during market hours. 
Sometimes one ox is hitched and the other loose, or one rests while 
the other munches grass. The cattle are generally poor in blood and 
flesh. Since the farmers of Russia are nearly all tenants, and the 
merchantmen who are not capitalists are serfs, the life of the villager 
appears to be the most contented and happy of all. He makes his 
own bed and he occupies it. 



CHAPTER XII. 

There is so much thievery in Russia that all the principal cities 
have what are known as Thieves' Markets. They are conducted 
openly, and little if any effort is made to trace an article which goes 
in that direction. 

Travelers in their exasperation often declare that the authorities, 
the thieves, and the vendors of stolen articles, are banded together^ 
and that the profits are divided on a fixed scale. Be that as it may, 
there is more stealing in this than any other country, unless probably 
Egypt is excepted. 

In St. Petersburg the Thieves' Market is two blocks deep, four 
long, and gives commercial employment to thousands of persons* 
The goods are carried in by the pillagers, burglars and footpads, sold 
to the shopkeepers openly, and no secret is made of the fact that 
they were stolen. The buildings are mostly of brick, located in a 
quarter remote from the most respectable portion of the city ; and 
the shopkeepers live in the second stories. The rooms are all filthy, 
covered with vermin, filled with nauseous odors, and the goods are 
dusty. 

Lazy men and women sit in front of the entrances to the shops in 
the narrow streets, play chess or cards, smoke, drink tea, and show a 
shocking degree of depravity. They are mostly Greeks, although 
many are Tartars, Jews and Egyptians. The Jews are said to be the 
most cleanly, honorable and intelligent. 

The Thieves' Market flourishes most on a Sunday morning, al- 
though Sunday is not generally observed here, and street improve- 
ments, building of every character and trade go forward. But many 
people take a holiday on Sunday and spend it here. To this point I 
wended my way one Sunday morning, and saw a throng such as Five 
Points, New York, would have been shocked at in its palmiest days. 
In a window was some fine old chinaware, bearing the private mark 
of Alexander I., the crown and seal of the empire. Immediately the 
shopkeeper, a woman, informed me that the goods were stolen from 
the Winter Palace ; she knew it, because she got them directly from 
the thief, and she had handled his plunder before. 



THE ROGUES MARKET. 



77 



In the center of each block is a hollow square, about 150 feet in 
diameter. These were filled with men, women and children, behind 
improvised counters, selling or making almost everything. Second- 
hand boots are the most popular goods, and scores of men and boys 
can be seen repairing them in the open air, while others go about sell- 
ing them. 




HONEST MEN AND THIEVES. 



The ground is bouldered and covered with sand and fleas. 
Pigeons and crows, both sacredly protected, hop about everywhere. 
The crows are dark gray, with little black coats. Great big Siberian 
hounds, muzzled, stalk. about with the multitude and give zest to the 
scene. 

Here are train-loads of old iron, copper and leather ; hoops, cast-off 
and new clothing ; jewelry, watches, clocks and silverware ; furs, every- 
thing that furnishes houses, man, woman, child and beast, in confu- 
sion and profusion, just like a heap of stuff a gang of burglars might 
drop when hotly pursued. 



78 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

It is said the thieves linger here after disposing of their plunder, 
•often succeeding in regaining the property when it is purchased, and 
that goods are stolen and re-stolen a number of times in a single day 
or night. The scenes about the Thieves' Market in St. Petersburg 
are duplicated in four or five places in the empire. They are as old 
as the cities, having become fixed institutions, and no attempt is made 
to break them up. 

It is related that Peter the Great, once remarking to a guest upon 
the propensity of his subjects to steal, observed that in the midst of 
prayer at church a Russian would not hesitate to rob his neighbor. 

The inclination to steal varies in the classes only according to 
opportunity. Officials who pilfer do it in a more civilized and re- 
spectable way than the common herd. 

I have heard a story about Russian thieves which illustrates 
their dexterity as robbers. A French noble who had suffered much 
from thieves at St. Petersburg made a wager with a member of 
the royal family that he could produce Russian thieves who would rob 
a man at the dinner-table, and he might use every precaution to pre- 
vent it. To the dinner a number of guests sat down. The royal 
Russian naturally supposed that one of those who sat about the board 
was the expert thief, and to them he directed his attention. 

From the prison one of the most hardened rascals was taken and 
told that if he would rob the Grand Duke he should have his liberty. 
The thief was dressed as and acted the part of lackey and waiter. 
The liveried servant moved about with all the grace and pomp of a 
lord. Indeed, he so little resembled the adroit rogue he was that his 
employer began to fear as the dinner progressed he had made an un- 
wise selection. 

It was arranged between the master and the thief that when the 
latter had accomplished his difficult mission he was to indicate it to 
the former by a sly wink. 

The wine flowed, the soup, fish, meat, game, the various entrees 
and relishes appeared and disappeared ; and still no signal of success. 

Finally the cigars were passed, and as they were being lighted 
the thief gave the signal. The master asked his guest the time of 
night. The guest, with pleasing confidence, drew his guard, and 
found at the end of it, instead of his watch, a slice of turnip. 

Then the host asked his guest for some snuff. The box was 
gone. Inquiry was made for a beautiful ring which the guest had 
worn. That, too, was absent. His purse had likewise disappeared. 



NEW WAY TO DETECT THIEVES. 79 

But the most astonishing part of the performance was discovered in 
the fact that not only had the guest of the evening been robbed, but 
the host likewise. 

So helpless are the honest natives when robbed that they often 
seek witches to trace the direction of the stolen property. The witch 
proceeds by peculiar means. She summons all the neighbors whom 
she suspects, gets a pail of water, makes a little roll of dough to rep- 
resent each one present, and begins in the presence of the party to 
drop the balls into the water, the theory being that when she names 
the thief the ball will sink. 

Nine times out of ten the witch forces a confession. It is a waste 
of time to appeal to the authorities. The superstitions of the people 
are thus turned to advantage. They believe it is far worse to be de- 
tected in crime than to make a free confession. 

In nearly every bedroom I have occupied in the Russian hostel- 
ries I have found a tiny shrine. Some are over the doors, others 
high up in the corners next to the ceiling, while a few are stowed 
away on top of wardrobes. The presence of the shrine isjiot only a 
satisfaction and a solace to the occupant of the room, should he be a 
Russian, but a protection to the landlord, for it has not been frequent 
that thefts are perpetrated in the presence of shrines. The thieves 
fear shrines more than the law. 

I^aws may be enacted and punishment provided which will cure 
the Russians of their thievery, but only education and a change in the 
form of government can eradicate some other evils. The Russians 
are the most persistent drunkards I have ever seen. The ambition of 
the men of all classes seems to be to get money enough to supply 
them with vodka, a native corn brandy, which intoxicates as quickly - 
as the worst kind of American whisky, and must leave a terrible ef- 
fect. I am told that the peasants are becoming so debauched that 
they spend most of their church festival days in drunken ribaldry — 
and the Church of Russia makes about sixty holidays in the year. 
The church member must fast, must abstain from meat, but he may 
get as drunk as a lord and make the air resonant with his unmusical 
voice. 

One of the most lamentable features in the multitude of sinful 
practices of the Russians is the moral support given to the bearing of 
illegitimate children. In the eyes of Russia and Russians it is neither 
disgraceful nor sinful, nor is it unlawful, for a girl to become a mother 
when unmarried. The Emperors of old set the example and fixed 



So A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

the standard within respectable limits. Catharine II., who rode 
horseback like a man and commanded or reviewed her own troops, 
and who likewise committed various indelicacies during her reign at 
Moscow, founded a magnificent hospital. She set up a code of rules 
for its government, which are in full force to-day, and which simply 
give a premium to illegitimate childbirth. And under the fast-and- 
loose regime of the country it is hardly necessary to observe that this 
institution is well patronized ; not only this one, but the various others 
which have been founded upon a like principle. 

At the Moscow hospital alone between three and four thousand 
children find a home annually. It is a magnificent structure, with a 
dowry from the empire. No questions are asked when admission for 
a foundling is desired ; and further than this, means are provided for 
not only receiving the foundlings, without disclosing the identity of 
the mothers, but provision is made for accouchements. 

There is also a private entrance to this hospital, where, at any 
hour of the day or night, a child may be brought, deposited in a bas- 
ket, and by an automatic process carried to the reception-room. The 
messenger may depart unseen and unknown. A ticket is placed in the 
basket, stating the date of birth and the name desired for the infant. 

The little one is examined, weighed, registered, taken to the 
chapel, and immediately baptized and assigned to a nurse. It is given 
the best attention, and can be taken away after five years by any one 
who claims it, and besides receive a dowry till it becomes of age. 

If the child is a female and is reared in the hospital till of age or 
grown, every effort is made to wed her to a creditable man. She is 
educated, shown about, dressed well, and receives a dowry at the 
marriage altar. She is of age when eighteen. The boys are liable 
to military duty, and are dismissed with thirty roubles and a suit of 
clothes when they become eighteen. 

Some women who bear illegitimate children and do not want the 
fact known for some reason aside from the public notoriety, have an 
interesting way of rearing their offspring in a foundling hospital. 
They first mark the children by tattooing at a point where it will not 
be discovered upon a cursory examination. Then they deposit the 
children by the secret process at the hospital and engage as nurses. 
Once in the employ of the hospital, they not only manage to nurse 
their own offspring, but they receive better remuneration than were 
they employed as domestics in private families. This practice is so 
common that the authorities in charge of these hospitals prefer to 



SOME RUSSIAN SINS. 8l 

employ women believed to have children in the institutions, through 
a sense of sympathy and because the mothers put more heart in the 
work. 

Thievery, drunkenness and patronage of the foundling hospitals 
are not the only sins of the average Russian. The shopkeepers, as 
a class, need watching by the customer. When asked why there was 
so much cheating and misrepresentation among the higher class of 
Russian merchants, one of them whom I became well acquainted 
with said : 

' ' There is so much oppression of the trade by the authorities — 
such high taxes, such stringent regulations — that every subterfuge is 
resorted to in endeavors to make a profit. You will find that it is not 
so much what is asked for a thing as it is what the shopkeeper thinks 
you will pay. Bid down every one, and keep a sharp lookout that 
you get what you buy." 

So much roguery and oppression is everywhere found, and so 
many anticipate a climax to and an end of it all in revolution, that 
poverty is the rule. The lower and ignorant classes cannot be so 
much blamed for their reckless immorality when they have such glar- 
ing and bold examples from the nobility and the educated. For more 
than a thousand years the country has been ruled by persons who 
committed crime for amusement, and who believed that crime could 
only be atoned for or punished by crime. It has been a continuous 
page of blood, suffering and oppression, and the thing is apart of the 
bone, blood and flesh of this generation. So much for the bad peo- 
ple of Russia. 




CHAPTER XIII. 



OVING bodies of troops in any section of the 
empire are invariably preceded by a strong skir- 
mish-line of Cossacks. This branch of the sol- 
diery is picturesque in the highest extreme and 
dashing to the limit of imagination. 

During the palaver in the winter of 1887-8 be- 
tween Germany and Austria on the one side and 
Russia on the other over the occupation of the 
throne of Bulgaria, the Russian frontier swarmed 
with mounted Cossacks. They dash over the 
country like a pestilence, and to the inhabitants 
are as cankers or parasites. There is nothing 
that will chill the blood quicker or more thor- 
oughly than the thought of having located about 
a community an army of these men, who are without conscience or 
fear, who are licensed marauders, and whose reward is their pillage. 
There is nothing found in any soldiery of the world that is akin 
to the characteristics of the Cossacks. The Cossacks are individually 
civilized, but collectively are as barbarous and ferocious as the Arab 
warriors in the Soudan. The presence of a body of Cossacks is al- 
ways regarded as ominous. What with the students' outbreaks in St. 
Petersburg and Moscow, the menacing messages from the countries to 
the north, northwest, northeast and east, Russia for years has had 
much to agitate her ; and the constant activity on her frontiers and in 
the War Office has been enough to unstring the nerves of most na- 
tions. 

In the streets of St. Petersburg one usually sees but few soldiers, 
and most of them are the Cossacks, who are the L,ife Guards of the 
Tsar. Such universal prestige attaches to this soldier that man3 r of 
the ordinary regulars attempt to imitate him. The. genuine Cossack 
has no more appreciation of danger in battle or elsewhere than he 



DEFENDERS OF THK TSAR. 



has of his vodka, the terrible rum which he drinks like water, and 
which almost intoxicates at sight. The Cossack, besides being the 
original soldier of Russia, is the patron detective and the all-powerful 
police spirit. He assists in coercing the population into bearing the 
present iron rule and in making imperial institutions what they are. 

The Russian army, according to the most accurate statistics ob- 
tainable, consists of 43,400 officers, 1,989,493 men in the rank and 
file, 318,852 horses and 3,794 

guns. The reserves of the em- . ^ 

pire amount to over 3,000,000 
in the rank and file, over a 
half-million horses, and about 
4,000 guns. This makes a 
grand total of over 5,000,000. 
The cavalry figures do not show 
the effective strength of Russia 
in that branch of her army. 
Readily she may add half-a- 
million mounted effectives to 
the number given. Russia can 
mobilize forces within three 
months, at any time, aggre- 
gating 3,000,000, of whom one- 
third will be available as cavalrymen or infantrymen. The dis- 
cipline and general worth of the Russian soldier are not excelled 
even by Germany, with her almost perfect army. The Russians 
boast that they can call into the field an army in less than a year 
of 8,000,000 soldiers; and I do not doubt this estimate, considering 
that she has 100,000,000 population, and allies with almost as many 
souls. The French are among the allies of Russia, and the Italians 
and Swiss are more than ordinarily friendly. 

The navy is in proportion to her army. The empire has re- 
cently constructed some of the most formidable men-of-war to be found 
anywhere. The last warship built for Russia is said to be the largest 
and most nearly invulnerable of any in the world . It cost over four 
million roubles, and has secret designs which the architect refuses to 
disclose and the crown will not permit to be made known. I made 
strenuous efforts, with the use of letters from prominent American of- 
ficials, to secure admission to this magnificent man-of-war at St. Pe- 
tersburg, but was refused even a near approach. 




84 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

The soldiers of Russia are largely garrisoned about the cities, 
and are frequently used for police duty in suppressing riots, patrolling 
places supposed to be in danger and preserving peace. The laws of 
the empire are applicable in the government of cities and villages, 
and the officers of the municipalities and the army are closely allied. 
There is not, however, the display of soldiery about the streets that 
one sees in some other countries on the Continent. For instance, one 
never encounters squads of troops moving in the streets as he may 
in Switzerland, Italy and Germany. They are kept in the barracks, 
and when permitted to go out they move about singly, and not collec- 
tively, and as warriors. 

During my stay at St. Petersburg I visited 'one of the summer 
rendezvous of the army, about thirty miles to the east. There were 
sixty thousand soldiers in camp, and the occasion of my visit was to 
witness one of the memorable sham battles these soldiers frequently in- 
dulge in. 

I saw a bombardment in which were engaged eight regiments. 
Six regiments of infantry attempted to take a breastwork occupied by 
two regiments of heavy artillery. The battle-ground was five miles 
in diameter. The breastwork was located at one side and against a 
wood. The skirmish and the repulse, the final charge and the cap- 
ture, were pronounced by a veteran who accompanied me as lifelike 
as could be produced. There were clouds of smoke hovering over 
the field for hours after the engagement ; and subsequently and in the 
midst of it was a terrific fight between the cavalry and the Cossacks. 
The latter held a small wood almost in the center of the field, and 
mounted cavalry and cavalry on foot attempted to dislodge them. 
There were fighting with sabers on horseback, hand-to-hand engage- 
ments on foot, and running firing from horseback and on foot alter- 
nately. 

The style of warfare the Cossacks pursue is in many respects 
similar to that of the North American Indian. They are magnificent 
horsemen, are as tough as knots, and as bold as lions. The battles 
were reviewed by Tsar Alexander's brother, the Grand Duke, who is 
the General of the army. He is a splendid specimen of physical 
and mental manhood, thoroughly educated, and courteous to every- 
one. The soldiers love him dearly, and I do not wonder that they 
do, for he takes as good care of them as his resources will permit. 
As the long lines of troops hurried past the commanding officer every 
head was bared and in chorus the soldiers sang out their compliments, 
to which the Grand Duke replied most affectionately. 



YOUTHFUL ARMY OFFICERS. 85 

The manoeuvres of the Russian soldiery are exceedingly attrac- 
tive — made so by the great variety of uniforms in the ranks and the 
styles of arms and equipments worn. The artillery, infantry, cavalry 
and Cossacks are all uniformed and armed differently. One cannot 
imagine a more thrilling sight than five or six regiments of mounted 
Cossacks, with their breech-loading repeaters across their backs, im- 
mense revolvers in the pommels of their saddles, their long, steel- 
pointed spears, dashing across an open space and yelling like Co- 
manches. It would seem that an ordinary stranger would be almost 
willing to give up his life without a struggle, if he were to meet one 
of these remarkable cavalcades of warriors. 




FIRST OF THE PACK TRAIN. 

Besides the license for crime issued to the Cossacks, by complete 
immunity from punishment for any- misdemeanor committed, there is 
another great injustice done in relation to the army. 

The commissions are given to the nobility. Spurs are never won 
by gallantry in the service. The noble families support the Tsar, and 
their sons take the honors in the military line. I remember to have 
seen a boy — surely not over eighteen — with a Colonel's epaulets and 
saber, reviewing the exercises, while many boys wore the stripes of 



86 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

Captain and Major. To their commands grim veterans, who fought 
in the Crimea, responded with alacrity. 

Despite the fact that the pay of the officers and privates is nom- 
inal, Russia's daily expenditure for her army is over two million rou- 
bles, while the cost of her navy more than exceeds half this amount. 

There are enough horses and mules connected with the Russian 
army to fill the standing room of a section of land ; while hundreds 
of trains would be required to transport the arms of men used. Down 
on the Volga and in the country about Odessa camels are used in many 
instances as pack animals for the army. 

The system of conscription during times of war or threatened 
war, or when the army has, been reduced by desertions, is terrible. 
No man or boy who can bear arms escapes. During the last war of 
Russia there could scarcely be found an able-bodied man in all the 
country who was not doing service for the Tsar. 

Necessarily this leads to many desertions. Added to the hated 
force which permits no man to escape military service, there is disa- 
greeable monotony in army life. Even those who have families are 
never given leave to visit their homes, while the unmarried men are 
expected to serve the longest enlistments without seeing kith or kin. 
When the ranks are recruited by exercise of the conscript laws the 
scenes at the rendezvous where regiments are made up and hurried 
to the front beggar description — mothers, wives, sisters, soldiers, in 
tears at a parting which may be forever. It is far different from serv- 
ing under the rules and regulations in the army of the United States, 
where there is such a thing as a furlough, sick leave and assignment 
in a public place, where the soldier is permitted to go and come at 
will among his family. 

Prior to the Crimean war it was customary among the landowners. 
to send worthless characters to the army, to get rid of them. When 
a slave was threatened with army service he was usually possessed of 
energy, better character, and any quantity of fear. If his master 
said, " I will make you a soldier," the fellow fell upon his knees and 
begged for dear life. 

A deserter receives rough treatment when captured. I remember, 
to have been at the station one afternoon when the train arrived with 
a deserter aboard. As he emerged from the carriage there was heard 
a clanking of chains ; and then appeared a poor fellow with hands 
tied behind him and feet hobbled. Four soldiers guarded him. One 
walked on either side, one in front, and the fourth in the rear. Each 



CAMPING IN THE WINTER. ■ 87 

guard had his bayonet fixed, and it was pointed within close proxim- 
ity to the deserter's person. Outside the station he was hustled into 
a drosky, was immediately surrounded by a whole company of sol- 
diers, with bayonets fixed, and as the procession moved through the 
streets a scene was presented which, although it attracted no atten- 
tion from the natives, suggested that a number of most dangerous 
criminals were in custody. 

The conscriptions have had the effect of ridding the streets of 
loiterers and keeping the country free from mischief-makers ; but 
they have surely not had the effect of elevating the character of the 
men in the ranks. 

A Russian veteran tells me that the. bivouac of an army corps in 
winter-time is the most distressing scene the eye can compass. The 
men often camp outdoors, when the mercury registers thirty degrees 
below zero. They are frequently seen stretched out on the ground before 
fires, fast asleep, during the day, and at night they walk in circles to 
keep from freezing. When morning comes the men fall into line at the 
tap of the drum or the bugle's blast, and singing the war-song of the 
Russian army appear the very essence of cheerfulness. They go into 
action believing that if it is willed that they shall fall they will fall, 
and that if they are to' come out unharmed it will be so, and individ- 
ual action has nothing to do with it. In short, they believe in foreor- 
dination. 

Even a sketchy account of a trip through Russia would not be 
complete without reference to that page in the history of the empire 
upon which is written the record of the conflict known as the Crimean 
war. 

This fact was brought more forcibly to my attention when I vis- 
ited the War Department in Washington a few days ago and had 
pointed out to me one of the messengers of the Surgeon-General's 
office, Captain Thomas Morley. Morley is about fifty-six years of 
age and has the air of a veteran about him. The events in which he 
took a prominent part when the writer of this was still unborn have 
been chronicled by Tennyson in his celebrated poem, "The Charge 
of the Eight Brigade." 

Morley was but eighteen when he enlisted in the British army, 
was assigned to duty in the Seventeenth Eancers, and it is thirty-four 
years ago now that his troop, numbering one hundred and forty-five 
men, formed the last squad of the Earl of Cardigan's Light Brigade, 
which charged the Russian lines at Balaklava. Of the one hundred 



88 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

and forty-five an even hundred were left on the field. Morle}^ him- 
self was wounded twice, but not so severely as to incapacitate him 
for further service after the end of that campaign. At the close of 
the Crimean war he returned to England and remained until hostilities 
broke out in the United States, when, one day meeting Major-Gen- 
eral Charles Havelock, who was coming to this country as inspector 
of cavalry, he accepted an invitation to accompany him. He was 
commissioned as Second Lieutenant in a Pennsylvania regiment, and 
rose to the rank of Captain. He saw heavy service in the United 
States, but nothing to compare with the charge of the Light Brigade. 
He had two horses killed under him, was twice captured, and one 
time confined for a year in Libby Prison. He is a quiet, sedate man, 
who has the respect of all his associates, and is often asked to give 
some of the details of the famous charge in which he participated. 

This has been graphically described by an English General who 
witnessed the charge. This officer thus states his recollection of that 
thrilling event : 

"On October 25, 1854, our eyes turned to the heights of Bala- 
klava, on the possession of which depended the very existence of the 
allied forces. On that day the Russians made a desperate attack Gn 
our lines, to be as desperately repulsed. Word was sent to headquar- 
ters that the enemy, under cover of a heavy fire from the forts, had 
left Sebastopol in force, and was massing himself so as to threaten 
the safety of the heights. I was at once sent with an order for the 
cavalry and horse artillery to move, and be ready to assume the of- 
fensive. They had not to wait long. The Turkish lines were swept 
as by a whirlwind, and with our Mohammedan allies the word was 
sauve qui pent. The heavy cavalry on the right and the Light Bri- 
gade on the left were advanced, with the artillery in the center play- 
ing a game at long bows. Meanwhile a Russian battery was ostenta- 
tiously moved forward, whose well-served guns promised to be em- 
barrassing. 

" Lord Raglan, who did not know the full stre igth of the foe, 
saw that this obstacle must be removed ; but whether or not he also 
foresaw the necessity of first looking before the leap was taken must 
be forever a mystery. The commanders of the cavalry brigades, 
Lords Lucan and Cardigan, brothers-in-law, between whom no love 
was lost, were waiting the word to engage, Lord Lucan being the se- 
nior officer. To them sped Captain Nolan, a dashing hussar. Sa- 
luting the General, he said he bore an order — unwritten — from Lord 



CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. 89 

Raglan that the battery must be silenced and the guns captured. 
Lord Lucan, a man so cautious as to have earned the nickname of 
' Lord Look On,' fearing to expose his small force to any ambushed 
dangers, asked for more definite orders. With a slightly contemptu- 
ous turn of his handsome lip, the aide-de-camp pointed in the direc- 
tion of the battery and said : 

" ' You see your enemy, my lord.' 

"Even the Earl of Cardigan, impetuous as he was, generally 
speaking, looked at his commander in doubt as to the words. But, 
owing to the unhappy enmity existing between them, neither would 
speak his thoughts, and once more Nolan, impatiently waving his 
sword, which he had fiercely drawn from its scabbard, and pointing it 
to the artillery, cried, ' Take the guns ; these are your orders ! ' 

" The crisis has arrived. No recourse is left but to do as he bids. 
A cold nod of assent from Lord Lucan. A profound bow follows from 
Lord Cardigan. ' Light division, forward, charge ! ' breaks from his 
lips. An echoing cheer is the reply from six hundred and seven 
throats, as with clang of scabbard and rattle of bridle and bit, and 
the braying of the trumpet, and the ringing cheer of the ' Heavies,' 
the Fourth and Thirteenth 'Lights,' the Eighth and Eleventh Hus- 
sars, the latter Lord Cardigan's own corps, conspicuous in their cher- 
ry-colored trousers, and the Seventeenth Lancers, with ranks closed 
up and squadrons dressed as evenly as if at a march past, trot forward 
down the slight declivity. At their head ride the gallant Nolan and 
the dauntless Cardigan, even in this supreme moment with a reckless 
laugh upon his face as he argues some point of war with his brother 
hussar. 

' ' The unmasked batteries are already belching forth shot and 
shell. The trot breaks into a gallop — the gallop into a furious, head- 
long charge. Already Nolan has fallen, cut down by grapeshot, the 
secret of the fatal day dying with him. The serried ranks show fre- 
quent gaps, as saddle after saddle is emptied. ' Close up ! Close up ! 
Charge ! ' is the unceasing cry ; and in a shorter time than it takes to 
tell the opening ranks of the foe disclosed to the doomed but indomi- 
table few cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in 
front of them — and now cannon behind them. On through the broken 
Russian line pressed the noble army of martyrs, their oriflamme, 
their brave leader's flashing saber, their support. 

"With a wild cheer and a wilder leap, the cherry-clad heroes fly 
over the guns as lightly as they would over a five-barred gate on the 



90 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

hunting field, sabering the gunners as they leap. A beardless boy, 
not yet seventeen, holds fast to the colors he has sworn to carry to 
death or victory, and falls with the cry, ' My mother will hear of 
this ! ' on his dying lips, still grasping that banner in his hand. 

' ' Far away, clear in front, with his aide-de-camp and a few choice 
spirits on his right hand and on his left, none ahead of him, raging 
like a lion, fights, as with a forlorn hope, the leader and commander 
of the Light Brigade. He bears a charmed life, and his brawny arm 
is endowed with a power of slaughter that grows mightier every mo- 
ment from the meat it feeds on. Further and further he dashes on, 
cleaving his way with his blood-stained sword, till he reaches the last 
of the guns. 

" Here, when he sees the end is not yet, but that rank upon rank 
of infantry and cavalry, with heavy artillery in the rear, stretches 
out back to the city's utmost bastion, he recognizes how useless it 
will be further to tempt the fates and fight one against a thousand. 
Coolly and calmly, as if in Hyde Park, he takes in the situation at a 
glance, and gives the word to the trumpeter to sound first the ' assem- 
bly,' then the 'retreat.' A bullet crashes through the boy's hand as 
he raises his trumpet to his mouth, but, stoic-like, he makes no sign. 
Clear rings out the summons. A dozen only answer the call. Not 
one, save Lord Cardigan, but is wounded more or less severely, and 
his clothing shows where lance or saber or ball had plowed its way 
over his unscathed flesh. Right about the little band turns, leaving 
the boy trumpeter dead on the ground behind them. 

" The enemy, paralyzed by the shock of the charge, and fancy- 
ing that the whole British army supports the handful of braves, 
pauses in his murderous work to cheer the one hundred and eight sur- 
vivors who returned slowly and sadly to the place from which they 
came, having, from a military standpoint, achieved nothing, yet cov- 
ered with a deathless, fadeless wreath of glory. ' It was magnifi- 
cent,' said General Bosquet, ' but it was not war.' " 



CHAPTER XIV. 

There is but one regular passenger train each day between St. 
Petersburg and Moscow. The distance is about the same as that be- 
tween Washington and New York or New York and Boston, which is 
made in a little over five hours by the American railroad system. It 
takes fourteen hours in Russia to cover this distance. 

Great is the circumlocution in securing a berth in the one wagon 
lit which runs between the two cities. It is an abbreviated pattern of 
the Mann boudoir car, and is quite as comfortable and sightly. The 
sleeping-car is a new thing here, and is only patronized by strangers 
and a very few of the most enterprising and wealthy natives. 

The regular express leaves St. Petersburg at 8.30 at night and 
arrives at Moscow between ten and eleven o'clock the next forenoon. 
Two da3^s before I departed from the Capital, with the courier I went 
to the station to procure a sleeping-car ticket and engage my berth. 
After unusual palaver the outer guard admitted us into several rooms 
and into the office of the agent. 

At a desk I found an enormous Russian, apparently six and a half 
feet high and two and a half feet across the chest, with boots the tops 
of which came above his knees, and a beard as long and broad as the 
page of an ordinary newspaper. I had paid eighteen roubles for my 
railroad ticket to Moscow-^about one- third more than the charge for 
the distance in the United States — and I was informed that a berth in 
the wagon lit would be an additional tax of ten roubles. 

When the money was counted out to the agent he proceeded to 
open a blank book and fill out a page quite as large as a sheet of 
foolscap paper. This he handed to me, saying that it was a receipt 
for my money,, and that it would guarantee a berth on the day after 
to-morrow. He added that when the train was ready to start he 
would give me a ticket for the receipt. Just why I could not get a 
ticket instead of the receipt, as in the United States and in the Con- 
tinental countries, I could not understand and do not now know. 

The evening arrived when I was to leave for the old Capital. 
The porters in the hotel visited my room early in the morning and ex- 
pressed regret that they were to lose a guest. Their evident sorrow 



92 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

was soon palliated by a two-rouble note for each one, and they bade 
me good-bye with unmistakable evidences of happiness. 

Here, as in many cities on the Continent, you settle your hotel 
bill every day, if you wish. Bach morning a bill for your room and 
the etceteras is presented. This is charged up, but the landlord does 
not expect its liquidation on the day it is rendered. It is for the pur- 
pose of keeping you well informed of the aggregate of your ex- 
penses, so that corrections may be made if necessary while the items 
are fresh in your mind. Your carriage bills, expenses for couriers, 
etc. , are charged with your room rent if you desire ; but your meals 
are paid for, usually, at the time they are taken. 

After a great ado at the hotel in the settlement of every con- 
ceivable bill and satisfying the hints for tips from nearly everybody 
connected with the institution, I was off to the station. 

About the door of the sleeping-car agent's office were congre- 
gated several travelers, all clamoring for berths. Great were my 
amazement and chagrin when I was told that I could not procure a 
ticket for the wagon lit ; that the seats were all taken, and, in fact, 
several more were sold than were at the disposal of the agent. • How- 
ever, I produced my receipt, showing that I had paid my money two 
days since ; and after the courier threatened to call the gendarmes and 
arrest the agent, he was coerced into depriving somebody of his berth 
and giving me the ticket I was entitled to. 

There is no drinking water to be procured on one of these trains, 
and the wise man takes with him a quantity of mineral water. In 
every other part of the country there are water vendors at almost 
all the stations ; but as this trip is made mostly at night these water 
men and women are not encountered. 

One of the most striking features to an American in traveling 
through Russia is the utter lack of happiness found everywhere 
among the natives. There is never a merry laugh or a pleasant smile 
on the faces of the people who were reared here. Grim care and 
deep wrinkles occupy almost every countenance. The children ap- 
pear as wretched as the parents, and are never seen rollicking about 
on the lawns or romping through the streets. They move around, as 
little pieces of machinery, in a mechanical sort of way. This is not 
owing to a lack of cultivation and improvement of the natural sur- 
roundings. There are around Moscow many pretty homes and beau- 
tiful lawns, which would bring pleasure to the children and real hap- 
piness to the parents in other climes. 



HOMES OF THE NOBILITY. 93 

The Russians are, in many respects, like the North American In- 
dians. They are extremely stoical, fearless, superstitious and serious. 
They never see any fun in anything. Every effort made by my com- 
panions and myself to amuse the natives proved fruitless. A Rus- 
sian does not enjoy a story, sees nothing humorous in pranks, and 
takes everything as a matter of course. 

In skurrying through the country one travels over hundreds of 
versts sometimes before he finds an attractive place, such as are seen 
in the rural districts of the United States. There are no grand old 
plantation places — beautiful mansions surrounded by groves and at- 
tractive out-houses, walks and fountains. The landlords almost inva- 
riably live in the cities, and pay frequent visits to their estates. The 
homesteads of the aristocracy are found in the larger places, and not 
in the country. The provincial towns are quite as tiresome, when 
the novelty wears off, as the pine woods, marshes, and long stretches 
of barren country. 

The traveler distinguishes a village from a city some time before 
he reaches it ; and he can never be mistaken if he once sees only the 
outskirts. The private houses in the cities have green roofs, and the 
churches and public buildings have gilded domes. These are never 
found in the small places. 

When the train pushes into a post-station there is not the anima- 
tion evinced in other countries. A crowd of natives move almost life- 
lessly about or stand still, gaping at the passengers or the train. The 
men have their hands rammed down into their breeches pockets, and 
are generally puffing strong clay pipes, and gazing intently, without 
evidence of spirit. The women, with 'kerchiefs tied over their heads 
and under their chins, give proof of quite as much interest in the 
proceedings, but usually are content with ogling and resting their 
hands on their broad hips. They have downcast looks, inexpressive 
faces and cowed manners, as though they were shrinking from an up- 
lifted lash. 

I have described the home of the peasant — its unattractiveness, 
unhealthfulness and filthiness. Mark the contrast in comparison with 
the mansion of the nobleman, who owns the land on which the peas- 
ant lives. 

The mansion, to begin with, is larger, in most instances, than 
those found in America. There is a loftiness seen nowhere else ; and 
the furniture is selected with a special view to grand receptions and 
entertainments of every description. The floors are seldom covered 



94 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

with carpets. They are made parquet, or of inlaid oak. Not infre- 
quently each room in a large mansion has a floor of a distinctive de- 
sign. The doors are wide and are shaded by rich portieres to match 
the window curtains of the room. Magnificent chandeliers are sus- 
pended ; the ceilings are richly frescoed, and the gilt is used to splen- 
did effect. Velvet or brocaded silk of the most delicate and fascinat- 
ing colors covers the sofas, chairs and tete-a-tetes. Marble statues, 
exquisite vases, objects of virtu, and the oddest bric-a-brac tu be found 
anywhere, are on every hand. The boudoir of the lady of the house 
is generally a perfect gem, with its furnishings profusely covered with 
delicate blue or rose-satin brocade. It may be that the floor is partly 
covered with a genuine Persian carpet. On the table is solid silver- 
ware, with the Russian enamel, which is the most perfect I have ever 
seen. Paintings decorate the walls, and there is an abandon in the 
artistic effect of the whole arrangement of the mansion that must be 
admired by every one. 

The wives and daughters of the Russian nobles wear the most 
valuable and often the most gaudy jewelry to be purchased in any 
market. I remember sitting by the wife of a nobleman in a boat on 
the Neva who wore diamonds in her ears which, if they weighed one 
carat each, weighed fifteen. One solitaire on her finger was as large 
as a minie ball. In every other respect she presented a very modest 
and sweet appearance. 

In the section between the new and old Capital there are few 
cities of any size, but the country is thickly populated and well im- 
proved. Cereals are grown to the height of cultivation, in spite of the 
crude agricultural machinery. The wheat in the great marts of Cen- 
tral Russia comes from this neck of country. Here one finds a few 
cottages on the farms. Some of the peasants own the land they culti- 
vate. Wherever there is affluence in the rural districts there is a de- 
gree of improvement which evinces taste. 

The better class of cottages resemble the Swiss chalet. There 
are broad balconies, and the eaves are decorated with woodwork, 
hand-carved. There is ornamentation around the windows, and the 
furniture is quite attractive. 

Moscow is probably the most interesting city in all the Russias. 
Her palaces and treasuries are grand, and the features of her early 
days are maintained to the present time. There are the same walls 
about the Kremlin, and the battlements along the Volga, and traces 
of the prisons, which were constructed long before Napoleon took 
possession of the city in 1812. 



FISH FRESH FROM THE WATFR. 95 

There is little resemblance between the old and the new Capital, 
although they both contain nearly the same population. Moscow has 
about 650,000 inhabitants, while St. Petersburg contains almost 
700,000. Moscow has been the central figure in all of Russia's his- 
tory since her civilization. Here was the seat of the various wars, 
and from this city were issued the official mandates which have, from 
time to time, brought about not only revolutions, but peace and prog- 
ress. The country to the north, east and south is gently undulating ; 
while to the west, whence flows the Volga, there are hills, forests and 
traces of early history. There is very little that is modern about the 
city. The hundreds and hundreds of domes on the cathedrals, 
churches and public institutions have the same highly-polished brass 
mountings that were seen in a less brilliant form generations ago. 
The thousands of chimes ring out the same melodies and national airs 
here that they rang during the time of Ivan the Terrible. 

Hotels there are in abundance. The plan upon which one of 
them is kept is worthy of description. It is the Slavianski Bazaar, in 
the Kitai Gorod, or Chinese Town. It resembles both a summer and 
a winter garden. There are spacious reading-rooms, drinking-rooms 
and restaurants. The cuisine is conducted by French chefs. In the 
center of one of the largest dining-rooms is an immense fountain, and 
at its base a beautiful basin of running water, clear as crystal. In 
this there are always found a variety of fish, the favorite being the 
starlit, a species of carp, resembling in general appearance both the 
catfish and pike — an immense bull head, and a long, slender body, 
with a tough skin, but no scales. Americans and Englishmen gen- 
erally order this fish. They go to the pool and select their members 
of the finny tribe darting about in the water. After the desired fish 
is indicated, a porter takes a small basket-net and captures it. Fif- 
teen minutes later it is brought to you at your table, steaming, and 
covered with sauces and a compote of vegetables. The fish has ribs 
instead of fine bones, is pasty, and almost tasteless. It is not the de- 
liciousness of the thing that induces one to make the order, but the 
novelty of it. There is an immense organ, which furnishes band mu- 
sic for the whole building, and one sees with the sweep of the eye 
men and women from almost every quarter of the globe. It is an in- 
teresting study, and you will never grow weary visiting the place. 
There are diners du jour served ; but Americans most enjoy a meal 
selected from the extensive cartes. 




THE KREMLIN. 



More difficulty is encountered in Moscow in the employment of 
valets de place — commissioners — than at any other city in the country, 
for there are very few people here who speak the English language, 
and comparatively few who speak French and German. I employed 
the only English-speaking courier to be procured, some time before 
leaving St. Petersburg, and he was constantly by my side. 

Historically, the Kremlin is the center of attraction. Archaeol- 
ogists have failed to trace the name of the Kremlin, although it is 
supposed to be derived from the Russian word kremen, meaning an 
inclosed space. Originally, in 1367, it was surrounded by walls of 
oak. The foundation was of stone, and in the early days of the city 
it resisted the attacks of Tartars and other foes. It was burnt four 
centuries ago, and has since been rebuilt several times. It is about 
a mile and a half in circumference, and is entered by five gates, the 
principal of which is the Spaski, or the Redeemer's^ Gate, near the 



BELIEVERS IN SHRINES. 97 

Church of St. Basil, built in 1491. An immense tower was con- 
structed two and a half centuries ago, and an English clockmaker 
placed in it a clock which gave time to the inhabitants for many 
years. The tower is of Gothic architecture. 

Immediately over the Redeemer's Gate is a picture of the 
Saviour, which the natives hold in high veneration ; and they always 
uncover their heads when they pass under it. For a long time a law 
was enforced which punished with fifty prostrations or lashes all who 
did not uncover their heads when entering this gate. The stranger 
is always admonished to pay respect to the tradition, even to this day ; 
and the swarms of people moving into and out of the Kremlin 
through this passageway are invariably bare-headed. During the 
early days, when criminals were executed in public, they were 
brought before this gate to offer their last prayers. This shrine, ac- 
cording to tradition, has saved Moscow many times from destruction 
by her enemies ; and the natives hold that if it were destroyed all 
sorts of evil would come upon them. When Napoleon, in 181 2, 
burned the Kremlin, the heat from the fire cracked the high walls 
surrounding it, and split the tower in the middle down as far as the 
picture ; but not even the glass over nor the lamp suspended before it 
was injured. There is an inscription over the image to this effect : 
" Placed by the order of Alexander I." 

During the latter part of the last century this vicinity was a ref- 
uge for thieves, murderers, tramps and scalawags, who at times ter- 
rorized the inhabitants. 

Inside the Kremlin there are many places of interest. The Tower 
of Ivan the Terrible is worthy of the most attention. It was built in 
the seventeenth century, and consists of five stories, four of which 
are octangular, and the fifth cylindrical. It rises to a height of three 
hundred and twenty-five feet, and bears a cross of polished brass 
which glistens in the sunlight like gold. There are thirty-four bells 
of various sizes in the tower. The largest weighs sixty-four tons." 
Below is a chapel of magnificent proportions and splendid finishings. 
The famous bell of the Great Novgorod, known the world over as the 
Great Bell of Moscow, was at one time suspended in, this tower. The 
ringing of the chimes on Easter da}^ is a feature of the exercises com- 
memorative of the occasion. Around the topmost point of the tower 
is a small space, where the traveler may pause and view the panorama 
of the city and surrounding country. There is surely nothing to sur- 
pass the grandeur of the scene in all of Europe. 



98 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

The Bell of Moscow lies at the foot of this tower. Originally it 
weighed 36,000 pounds, and it required the services of more than a 
score of men to move the tongue. The bell was several times de- 
stroyed by fire, and once was broken when it fell to the ground. The 
first casting was in 1553. When it was recast in 1654 it w T eighed 
288,000 pounds, its circumference was fifty-four and its thickness tw T o 
feet. In 1706 it was again ruined by fire, and lay in fragments on the 
ground until the reign of Empress Anne, when it was last recast, in 
1733. A fire four or five years afterward caused it to fall, and from 
its side a piece was broken, leaving a gap high and broad enough to 
admit of one walking into it upright. It is said that there were im- 
perfections in the last casting, caused by jewels and other treasures 
being thrown into the liquid by the ladies of Moscow. At present it 
rests on a pedestal, and is said to weigh about a half million pounds. 
It is now twenty-six feet high and over sixty-seven feet in circumfer- 
ence, with a maximum thickness of two feet. In the summer months 
idlers are stretched out on its pedestal, sleeping, at almost any time 
of the day or night. 

In the various chapels and churches located inside the Kremlin 
are sarcophagi, containing the remains of the early saints ; dried drops 
of blood, claimed to be from the Saviour on the cross ; alleged frag- 
ments of the cross itself; a spike, which it is held was used to nail 
the Saviour to the cross ; paintings, and other sacred relics, before 
which worshipers fall upon their faces and supplicate. In a word, 
the Kremlin is a fortified museum of sacred things. Its contents at 
the present time are ancient treasures and relics. There are streams 
of people constantly pouring into it for worship and to satisfy curios- 
ity ; and here is concentrated the activity of the city. Idols are on 
every hand, and one is impressed with the memories of Greece, Jeru- 
salem, Palestine, and everything that is related in Holy Writ. 

The cathedrals in the great courts of the Kremlin contain more 
church valuables than could probably be found in all of the other cities 
in the country. The most precious mementoes of the early struggles 
of the Greek Church are stored within its walls ; and it is regarded as 
a great privilege for natives to be permitted to worship here. They 
trudge, hungry, foot-sore and bleeding, thousands of miles for an op- 
portunity to kiss the cross and drop their tears on these blood-stained 
floors. 

The Treasury, containing most of the royal presents and treasures 
of the crown for centuries, is located hard by. It is an immense building, 



valuable: churches. 99 

constructed less than a third of a century since, on the site of the an- 
cient structure where lived many of the first rulers. Its design was a 
depository for venerated historical objects, and the hereditary jewels, 
wardrobes, carriages and equipages of those who helped to lay the 
foundations of the empire. Scores and scores of great rooms are 
filled with the wealth of the realm, stored away as mere keepsakes 
and objects of admiration. During the French invasion these treas- 
ures were taken to Niijni Novgorod, and thus escaped Napoleon's 
pillagers. Many relics similar to those in the Tower of Iyondon are 
here seen. There are beautiful old specimens of Russian armor, 
both for man and horse ; weapons of every conceivable design and 
metal ; and trophies taken from the countries conquered by Russia. 

There are waeon-loads of the most valuable jewels, and tons of 
gold and silver. The court carriages nil a^room as large as the most 
capacious town hall. 

The principal church in the city— Church of Our Saviour — is 
without the walls of the Kremlin, and is surely the most magnificent 
in the world. It is said to have cost over forty million roubles. Its 
galleries of paintings, from the most celebrated artists, are excelled 
nowhere. A detailed description of it would occupy many pages in a 
book. The Tsars have, for centuries, been crowned in the Cathedral 
of the Assumption, which is the most sacred place, and consequently 
has the greatest interest for the natives, if not the strangers. There 
is more wealth in this church than can be found in any building in the 
United States outside the Treasury Department at Washington. Na- 
poleon's men stabled their horses in the Cathedral of the Assump- 
tion, and committed all manner of sacrilegious acts in it. The floor 
is paved with jasper and agate, the gift of the Shah of Persia to the 
Tsar Alexis. 

Russian churches as a whole are decorated internally in the high- 
est order of art. In most of them the walls are almost entirely cov- 
ered with pictures of the saints, the Virgin, and the Child. The 
Creator is generally represented by the figure of an old man, with 
long white hair and beard, giving it the triangle or symbol of the 
Trinity. Sometimes the Saviour is portrayed as sitting on the 
clouds, with one foot on the earth. In other instances He and the 
Virgin Mary are painted one on either side. Around the brows of 
the saints are halos of glory in silver-gilt ; sometimes it is in pure 
gold, set with pearls and other precious stones. The Virgin Mary is 
occasionally dressed in gold or silver-gilt, from which covering the 
face and hands are visible out of the mass of rich settings. 



loo A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

Some of these portraits are verjr ancient, and are intrinsically ex- 
tremely valuable. Most of them are blackened by time, and at a 
glance appear as dark spaces with bright surroundings. The artists 
were unable to give the Virgin a graceful form or attractive features. 

The Greek is the Church of Russia, and it is maintained at the 
expense of the Government. The religion is almost a part of the 
laws, and is enforced upon all subjects of the crown. There is a 
church officer in the Privy Council — the Cabinet — who administers 
the laws. Everybody is supposed to belong to the church and to 
contribute to its support. There is a close alliance between the laws 
of the church and those of the Government. The proceeds from each 
are interchangeable. 

There is a museum in Moscow worthy of prolonged visits, and a 
zoological garden, and picture galleries, of much interest. The Rid- 
ing School is the most celebrated in the world. The building has the 
largest room unsupported by pillar or prop to be found in the uni- 
verse. It is nearly six hundred feet in length, about one hundred and 
sixty-five feet in breadth and forty-two feet in height. Internally it 
is ornamented with bas reliefs of men in armor and ancient trophies. 
There are twenty stoves for heating purposes, and they are all made 
of white earthenware, rising to the ceiling. Small windows, high 
above the ground, afford light and ventilation. The long, low build- 
ing looks somber, and besides being used as a place of amusement 
for the populace, is a training-school for cavalrymen. Two regiments 
have ample room for evolutions and manoeuvres, and the entertain- 
ments given by civilians and the military in this vast building take 
high rank. 



CHAPTER XVI. 




Officers are nowhere 
so officious as in Mos- 
cow. 

One morning, after 
visiting the Treasury 
and various points 
within the walls of the 
Kremlin, I sat down 
on a step leading to 
the entrance of a 
building to await the 
return of the guide, 
who had gone some- 
where for the purpose 
of bribing an official 
to obtain admission to 
one of the private 
rooms of the palace. 
The guard hastened up, roared out some Russian words, and motioned 
me to move on. 

I didn't move, but sat and looked the fellow in the face, as stoic- 
ally, as an ordinary Indian. I was in no one's way. The step I sat 
upon was clearly outside the range of pedestrians, and no possible 
harm could come if I sat there a whole month of thirty-one days. 
But I finally moved. 

A minute after I refused to amble to the order of the official con- 
nected with the building a soldier, on his regular patrol, came up. 
He motioned for me to move. At first I pretended not to understand. 
Then he grew red in the face and warm under the collar ; walked up, 
took me by the arm and gave me a start. 

Fifty paces further on I stopped, leaned up against a window- 
sill, far away from anyone, and proceeded to wait for my courier. 
The soldier brought his gun to a present and marched toward me. 
When a dozen feet from me he made a motion with his whole facial 
features and arm at the same time, which said if I didn't get outside 
the square I would get into prison. Remembering Siberia, the Fort- 



102 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

ress up the river at St. Petersburg, the many dungeons with their tor- 
tures, and lastly the inclosure where the rifle speaks the execution, I 
moved out — clear outside the Kremlin and into the street. 

" No one is permitted to linger around here after he comes out of 
a building. He must move on. The authorities are afraid of Nihil- 
ists, and suspect every one who pauses about the Kremlin," said the 
courier. " Had you persisted in refusing to go outside, you would 
have been arrested and sent to prison. If it could have been shown 
that you might have designs against any of the institutions of the em- 
pire, you would never have been heard of." 

While I was standing in the street awaiting the courier, who suc- 
ceeded by the persuasive influence of a rouble in securing admission 
to a forbidden place, an undertaker passed me. He moved in the 
center of the street, and on his head carried a great Russia-iron coffin 
ornamented with sham silver and decorated with a huge floral offer- 
ing. The flowers were of wax. A small boy followed the under- 
taker and carried a soldering apparatus. The corpse is placed in the 
coffin and hermetically sealed in. The funeral procession is fre- 
quently led by the corpse in a coffin on the head of one man. 

There are probably five hundred places in Moscow alone where 
shrines are sold. One goes into shops and stores of every description 
and finds a supply of these article s. A drug, book, clothing or hardware 
store will have a stock of shrines. The landlord at your hotel keeps 
a few on hand for guests too hurried in their departure to allow them 
to be particular in purchasing. 

All shrines are made of brass, and one can get them anywhere 
from the size of the hand up to eight by ten feet. Most of them have 
a painting, a chromo, or other colored picture of the head of the 
Saviour or the Virgin Mary, in the center ; and usually about the 
picture are sprays in the brass, like rays of the sun. Many have ar- 
rangements for a candle or a lamp immediately above or below the 
painting. fj The shrine shops are a perfect glitter of brass. 

Going through the streets in any city or village one sees a shrine 
at least every two hundred feet, and the natives are kept in a perfect 
ferment of bowing and crossing. Every bridge, even if it be but a 
dozen steps in length, has from one to six shrines. The long bridges 
at St. Petersburg, Moscow and Niijni Novgorod have shrine-houses, 
with a lot of candles burning, an attendant, and arrangements for wor- 
ship. All these shrines are maintained, directly or indirectly, by the 
empire. As the churches are supported from the public funds, it 



AN UNSAVORY DISH. 103 

makes little difference whether the money comes directly from the 
treasury or from the coffers of the church. 

Four horses are driven to the street cars in Moscow. As at St. 
Petersburg, Paris, London and many other European cities, the cars 
are two-storied, and the upper part is open, with long seats, and is 
reached by a winding stairway at the rear. But the cars here are 
very long. Below and above almost a hundred passengers may sit. 
There are a conductor, a driver and a hostler. The latter rides the 
foremost "off" horse. The driver rings a bell almost continually. 
The conductor gives a check to each passenger, who must pay twenty 
copecks a ride ; and the speed is about that of street cars in America. 

Shops and stores of all kinds do not open in Russia till nine 
o'clock in the morning, unless there is some special thing in view; 
and they close at five in the afternoon. The jewelry shops have a 
display in. the windows ; but when one enters he sees no goods. The 
keeper jumps to his feet, and, when you call for what you want, he 
begins to open drawers and take out trays. Only dry-goods shops 
make a full display, and these do so very bunglingly. 

Government buildings are all painted a dirty light yellow. The 
paint is a kind of wash, and is put on with a broad brush attached to 
a pole. 

As a general thing the hotels are as good as the traveler encoun- 
ters in the far western and southern portions of the United States. 
But he gets more fleas and other vermin here than in America. Salt 
meats, fish and insipid vegetables form the principal diet. Caviar — 
the eggs of salmon, sturgeon and some of the other large fish, salted 
or cured in oil and pressed — is seen everywhere in a dining-room. It 
is generally eaten as a relish, like pickles. In the markets great 
hogsheads full of caviar, and cakes of it as large as tubs, are visible 
on every hand, and on them are paddles, so that customers may help 
themselves. Some Americans learn to relish the stuff, but they are 
few. It is sold in cans in every American citj^. A friend of mine in 
Washington had some in his house one day when Auntie, the new 
cook, entered, carrying a can at arm's length. "Wat dis yeah stuff, 
master?" she inquired; and upon being informed said, "Well, it 
certainly do hab a werry lonesome smell." She was right. Russians 
say it is a stomach-stayer, and will help to prevent seasickness. 

After dinner lighted candles are placed on the table, and nearly 
everybody smokes. The women are inveterate smokers. 

The natives are slovenly and ignorant, live on black bread and a 
vegetable soup that is awful, and drink strong tea and vodka like 



T04 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

water. The soup is a curiosity. It has a large proportion of cabbage 
and meat, beet-root, sausage and vinegar ; sometimes varenookla, 
corn brandy boiled with fruit and spice ; and kostia, boiled rice and 
plums. 

Invariably when Moscovan friends meet they kiss twice, once on 
either cheek. The men greet each other in this way, the same as 
women. Frequently I have seen great, burly men here, with flowing 
beards, smoking strong cigars, meet and kiss each other so affection- 
ately that their lips gave out sounds like the suction-valves in air- 
pumps. Sometimes they forget to take their pipes or cigars from 
their mouths, and the collisions are amusing to the spectator. 

A Russian never thinks of announcing himself at the door. He 
enters without knocking; and if he discovers the occupant of the 
room is not looking for him and does not desire his presence, he simply 
sits down and waits, as if he expected to be lifted up by the shoulders 
and heaved out. 

I have never seen a lightning-rod in all the country. This is not 
because there is no lightning here, but because the people do pot be- 
lieve in rods to conduct to the ground the deadly bolts. They believe 
it would be trifling with, the Inevitable and defying the Invisible. I 
believe Ajax came from another part of the globe than this. 

Nearly all the chimneys at the factories, and many of those on 
residences, have sieve-like coverings, to prevent sparks and cinders 
from flying out. 

For some unaccountable reason a charge is attached for passport 
examination amounting to one rouble and thirty copecks here, while 
at other places the charges are less than one-fourth this sum. When 
one enters Russia he gets his passport vised by the local officer where 
he stops, and is permitted to remain in the country on this six months. 
If he stays over this time without a new passport and a renewed per- 
mission he is fined thirty copecks a day. He must take out at the 
expiration of his six months, if he has not a new passport, a Russian 
address-billet. The usual fee for examining a passport is thirty co- 
pecks, and it must be examined at every city, village and station 
where the traveler stops. The same routine is necessary everywhere ; 
and when one leaves the country he is stopped on the frontier, his 
passport examined, and he must get permission to depart. But all this 
is no worse than the fee of five dollars charged by the State Depart- 
ment at Washington for a passport, simply certifying that the bearer 
is a citizen of the United States. 



THE NATIONAL FAIR. 1 05 

Visitors to Moscow almost invariably run over to Niijni Novgo- 
rod, where the National Fair is held every year, beginning about the 
first of August and lasting till the weather becomes extremely cold. 
Niijni Novgorod has about 50,000 population, is the chief town of the 
province of the same name, and is an interesting place to visit. It is 
situated at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers, and is an im- 
portant shipping point. Boats land here from distances of over 2,000 
miles. Niijni is thirteen hours by express from Moscow, directly west, 
and the railroad tariff is twenty-four roubles. The hotel accommoda 
tions are pleasant, if one does not get caught in the crowd. 

. The celebrated fair of Niijni Novgorod is but a mart for wares, 
produced by the inhabitants of the city and surrounding country. 
The fair spreads out like an immense town of shops *on the triangular 
point of land between the Oka and the Volga, which can be traced 
for many miles, with its steamers, like so many straws, floating down 
to the Caspian, fourteen hundred miles beyond. The scenery is beau- 
tiful. The forest of masts looks like a floating town, and covers the 
surface of the Oka almost completely. There is every conceivable 
shape of ships : the quaint barques and schooners, coming as they do 
from the most distant parts of the empire, with peculiar cargoes, in 
charge of ragged Tartars, Cossacks, Greeks and Turks. 

This fair is a succession of bazaars and booths, where men, 
women and children sell their products. About that portion of the 
city where the fair is held is a constant stream of carts, in long strings ; 
crowds of traders with great beards and fierce manners ; vendors of 
liquid refreshments and white rabbit-skins ; greasy monks collecting 
copecks from those who fear to withhold their charity, lest their trans- 
actions be influenced by the Evil Spirit. There are beggars here and 
thieves innumerable. But it is worth the trip to see the sights. 

I have almost confined myself in describing the institutions and 
customs of Russia to the three or four larger cities and the country 
about them, for. the reason that the most interesting features are here 
to be found. What one learns in the sections I devote myself to in 
these notes .gives him a very good idea of what he will see in a trip 
through all the civilized country. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Very different from those in any 
other part of the world are the 
holidays in Russia. While in the 
United States and most of the 
countries of Europe the festivi- 
ties have changed with the char- 
acter of the people and the sur- 
roundings, in the empire of Alex- 
ander the same scenes are to be 
witnessed to-day that were en- 
acted in past ages. A Russian would no more 
think of changing his manner of observing a 
holiday than he would of altering his creed. 
He has scruples about making merriment, 
and goes at it more as a religious duty than 
as a pleasure. 

For several days before the coming of 
Christmas the villages and cities are bus}' 
places. Elaborate decorations are alwa}^ 
made. Rows of colored lights are put up around residences, along 
the streets, and in the promenades and gardens. These are fed by 
little pots of grease and are tastefully arranged. High walls, miles 
in length, and fantastically decorated with colored lights, are some- 
times erected. Calcium lights are hung on the sidewalks, buildings 
and hills surrounding the villages and cities. Ice palaces are con- 
structed, brilliantly illuminated, and in them fairs are held till the new 
year is ushered in. 

The day before Christmas the people. hang out decorations, con- 
sisting of flags, bunting, rags, carpets, cloths and highly-colored gar- 
ments. Whole sides of large buildings along the principal thorough- 
fares are covered with these. They simply hang from the windows, 
and the effect upon a stranger is most bewildering. When the wind 
blows, the snow flies and the decorations nutter the scene cannot be 




HOLIDAY OBSERVANCES. 



107 



described. When 
midnight comes the 
bells ring, guns are 
fired and the sere- 
naders start upon 
their rounds. 



Stringed in- 
struments 
and bass 
drums are 
used. The 




Russians sing 
beautifully, and 
the music they 
produce is 
charming. The 
rich, deep bass 
voices harmonize perfectly with the 
clear, sweet and high tenors. Some- 
times the voices of the monks join 
in, for these have no hesitancy in 
making a night of it on such an oc- 
casion. The serenaders do not 
cease their music till it is time for 
Mass in the churches, when they 
wend their way churchward, and 



io8 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

depositing their instruments on the sidewalks, fall upon their knees, 
bump their heads upon the pavement in front of the churches, cross 
themselves repeatedly, and say their prayers. I have seen them keep 
up this exercise for a full half hour, till it seemed impossible for them 
to either find the strength to continue it or keep from freezing. 

Inside the church there are few people, the worship being con- 
ducted by each individual on the sidewalk. But if you open the 
great door of oak, iron or filagree work, a strange scene can be wit- 
nessed. The floor is of marble or tiling. Above the iconastas, or 
altar, is an icon — a picture of Christ, or the Madonna, in oil, and 
framed in gold. Before it is a grease lamp, burning dimly. At one 
side of the room stand a dozen or more monks, in long robes, chant- 
ing service. At times the music varies, taking in short but charming 
anthems, peculiar Russian compositions ; yet it does not cease for 
hours. A priest is walking about the auditorium, carrying an incense- 
burner, which smokes to the verge of suffocation. He murmurs in 
indistinct terms the service, swinging the censer first up and down 
before the icon over the iconastas, and then before all the images 
and pictures in the great room. These performances he repeats a 
number of times, the music of the voices continuing without any ac- 
companiment, as musical instruments are not permitted in the Greek 
Church or its monasteries. 

While these services are being conducted inside the church an 
occasional man or woman enters, and proceeding before the iconastas 
falls upon his or her face and moans piteously, at times frothing at 
the mouth and beating the floor furiously. The scene reminds one of 
a Free Methodist meeting, where the congregation get ' ' the power. ' ' 
The priest swings his censer over the prostrate form ' ' till the devil is 
frightened away." This in no way interferes with the singing, and 
only momentarily interrupts the ceremony of the priest incensing the 
images. The expression on the faces of the penitents is excrutiating. 
The services are in the Slav language. The priests are in splendid 
robes of brocade. 

The shrines are pieces of solid silver or gold, weighing a quarter 
of a ton, while the diamonds, rubies and other precious stones around 
the icons in the finer churches at St. Petersburg and Moscow are 
worth fortunes. Incense burns at every turn from diminutive blood- 
red glass cups. They are never permitted to die out. Regular ser- 
mons are not preached, as there is but one sermon a year in these 
churches. 



FASTS AND FKASTS. 109 

All Russian churches stand due east or west, with the altar east. 
The object is to meet the sun in every turn, the sun being the light 
of God. After the services at the churches the people return to their 
homes to feast, and then go out into the streets to celebrate. The 
church requires a great deal of fasting previous to this period, and as 
a consequence the people are in condition for an unusual amount of 
gormandizing. The Russians fast seven weeks in L,ent, three weeks 
in June, and from November till Christmas ; and they have so many 
holidays that only one hundred and thirty working days remain for 
them in the year. 

Kostia — boiled rice and plums — is the only thing partaken of on 
Christmas Eve. Next day, however, the people begin by eating 
bountifully of borsch — a soup made of meat, sausages, beet-root, cab- 
bage and vinegar. Cabbage in evety form is served, and vodka is 
drunk copiously. Then follow quantities of caviar, dried and frozen 
fish, pickles and sweets. 

The calendar in Russia is eleven days behind that in America ; 
but if the people are a little late in getting started in their holiday 
festivities they make up for' the loss of time by their vigor. Among 
the amusements they enjo}^ are the ice-hill and races. Skating is also 
popular. The ice-hill is somewhat similar to the toboggan of Amer- 
ica. A framework, with steps up one side, is erected. On the upper 
part is a small stage, covered with an ornamental roof supported by 
four pillars, and a steep inclined plane on the other side, which ter- 
minates in a long run. Water is poured upon this, and after freezing, 
which is instantaneous, the slide is perfect. 

At one time a custom prevailed of going about from one friend's 
house to another, masked, and committing every conceivable prank. 
Then the people feasted on blinnies — a pancake similar to the Eng- 
lish crumpet. Those who do not go to the ice-hills or rivers to slide 
or skate participate in the carnival or races. The spirit of children 
seems to prevail in the formation of the carnival, as men and women 
mask and ride hobby-horses through the streets, blowing horns, beat- 
ing drums and playing the rag-tag. 

The holidays are not alone celebrated by the elder persons. The 
children have their sports. As soon as they appear on the streets in 
the morning they begin to pelt each other with rice, beans, bonbons 
and preserved fruits. It is a kind of free treat, in which the parents 
frequently indulge and make up what takes the form of Christmas 
trees in America. The children form in groups and march through 



no 



A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



the streets and from house to house, singing carols, and are given 
sweets wherever they go. They are a happy lot, even though they 
have not the advantages the children of many other countries enjoy. 
At night there are grand balls at the halls and mansions of the 
nobility. These are very gay affairs ; and when at the private resi- 
dences there are the most sumptuous repasts, the higher grades of 
wine flowing freely. The Russians are the most liberal in their en- 
tertainments of any people in the world. Dinners are often spread at 
private houses which cost three hundred rou- 
bles a plate. The menu is the finest that French 
caterers can produce, and the cards and favors 
are of gold and diamonds. Before Nihilism be- 
came so common members of the royal family 
attended the Christm a s 
fetes when they ventured 
at no other pub- 
lic places. Now 




the officers of the army and navy are the most distinguished guests. 
The guests always sit down at table when supper or lunch is served, 
but the host and hostess never do. They walk around, chatting with 
the company, drinking their health, and seeing that the greatest 
amount of wine is consumed and the utmost levity possible is aroused. 
The ladies' toilets are the most superb in the world, but would per- 
haps be considered flashy in the United States. 



BKT.Iv-RINGING AT EASTER-TIME, ill 

There are extra illuminations in the grounds surrounding the 
residences of the nobility where these balls and banquets are held. 
Besides the walls of colored lights, lamps of variegated shades are set- 
in the snow, making them look like fairy lights. When the gray of 
dawn begins to appear after Christmas the merry dancers cease their 
rounds. More wine is brought, and vodka is served. Then tea 
makes its appearance in samovars. Men and women drink and smoke 
till the sun appears. These festivities continue till after the New 
Year. The people dress in bright costumes, and business is almost 
entirely suspended. It is considered sacrilegious to let such worldly 
affairs as commercial transactions interfere with holiday festivities. 

But the really great holidays in Russia are at Easter- time. If 
you were in Moscow at midnight when Easter came in and were not 
prepared for what you saw and heard, you would conclude that the 
millennium had come. Each of the five hundred and twenty-five 
church domes has a chime of bells. Sometimes as many as thirty or 
forty bells are found in one set of chimes. Each dome will average 
at least ten bells, so that there must be over five thousand altogether. 
These bells are all of the heaviest bronze, and being hung far apart 
harmonize beautifully and sound differently from the chimes in any 
other place in the world. The very instant the midnight hour arrives 
every one of these bells, and all the hand-bells in the city, are rung; 
with vigor and for hours. The inhabitants rush from their homes 
and the hotels and run through the streets, crying : " He is risen ! " 
Men kiss each other, and women engage in the most promiscuous os- 
culations. The priests and monks form in procession, and, marching 
through the streets, chant the services of the church. Sometimes 
they proceed to the Volga, and wading into the water waist-deep, 
bless it and pray to the stars. The people gather in the Kremlin, 
and during the exercises every one goes bare-headed, under penalty 
of corporeal punishment. The scene is impressive and would have 
a decided effect on the stranger but for the knowledge that the most 
devout celebrant may be caught stealing his handkerchief on the 
morrow. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

In no feature of Russian life is there a wider variance between 
the order of things in America than in courtship and marriage. 

Everything is done by negotiation, and marriage ambassadors are 
quite as common and respectable as probate lawyers in the United 
States. 

Until a few years ago the popular age for marriage was very low. 
Boys fourteen or fifteen years old and girls from twelve to fourteen 
married ; and the parents were universally glad of it. As soon as the 
girl got out of her swaddling clothes, or the boy could amble around 
on the streets, the parents began to cast about for a match. When an 
opportunity presented itself the ambassador was employed and nego- 
tiations were begun. Thus it frequently happened that there was a 
betrothal before either of the contracting parties knew anything about 
the existence or object of the marriage vow. Finally this thing was 
carried too far, and the Government declared it a crime for persons to 
marry under or above certain ages. Now the male cannot marry un- 
der eighteen or over eighty years of age, and the females are forbid- 
den to wed till they are sixteen or after they become sixty. And 
there are restraints against frequent marriages which would quite dis- 
courage the professional widowers and widows of the United States. 
If you marry twice the law of the church, which is the law of the 
land, gives you two years' penance, which means exclusion for that 
length of time from holy communion. Should you marry three times, 
five years' penance is given. To marry a fourth time is to sever re- 
lations from the church forever and invite the condemnation of the 
Saviour. Remarriages are unknown, and separations are final. 

Girls of marriageable age and women of respectability are very 
seldom seen upon the streets alone. Generally a male servant follows 
in close proximity. Should a boy or man see a girl or woman he ad- 
mires, he makes post-haste to an ambassador, employs him, and mar- 
riage negotiations begin. It is the business of the negotiator to rep- 
resent to the parents and the girl the good qualities of the young man ; 
to show his ability, his grace, fine appearance and business worth to 



MARRIAGE BY AMBASSADORS. 113 

their best advantage. He generally pleads his case well. Seldom is 
time given for consideration. If the lineage and the personal quali- 
ties suit the parents first, and the girl latterly, the offer is accepted. 
It is then the business of the ambassador to fetch the young man. 
The couple kiss, fix the date, and partake of a betrothal supper, the 
only persons present being the family of the young lady, the young 
man and his negotiator. No announcement of the match is made. 

Not until the weddi.ig knot is tied does the glib ambassador get 
his pay. It then depends upon the station of the parties to the 
match, the difficulty and intricacy of the case and the liberality of 
the client. Sometimes both parties make him presents and he fares 
well. Usually he profits to about the same extent as the prosecuting 
lawyer in the United States when he gets a divorce proceeding 
through. 

At one time there was a fixed day for match-making. It was 
Whitsun-Monday, and was known as the "day for choosing brides." 
The summer gardens were the exhibiting places. The anxious 
mothers were present in force, and the solicitous fathers looked after 
their sons. The girls were dressed in all the finery they could buy or 
borrow. They had silks, satins, laces and jewels. Some of them 
were gaudy. The girls were placed in lines, and the fathers with 
their sons passed along in review. The latter made mental memo- 
randa of the girls, and during the following week negotiations were 
begun. Although this custom has been almost abolished, it is yet ob- 
served to some extent ; and the summer garden on Whitsun-Monday 
is an interesting place to visit. The girls are modest and ofttimes 
pretty. 

Russian marriages invariably take place at night ; and if they are 
among the peasants, to which class the negotiation custom is now 
mostly confined, the ambassador who made the match is the principal 
guest. First, the wedding garments receive the priest's blessing, the 
parents solemnly bless the daughter and son at their respective homes, 
and the sacred pictures are three times waved over the heads of the 
contracting parties. If the couple are of sufficient importance to 
have attendants, the lady of honor leads the bride-elect to the car- 
riage, and then they proceed to the church. The bridegroom in pros- 
pect is meanwhile at his own home, and couriers from his affianced 
bride's abode run i-o tell him it is time to meet her at the sanctuary. 
So the bridegroom-elect puts out for the church. 

When the pair proceed to the altar they carry wax tapers ; and 
the belief is that the taper which first burns out marks the one first 



114 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

to die. In the upper circles there are the wedding ring and the cere- 
mony pledging faith and fealty, much the same as in America. While 
the latter part of the ceremony is taking place mixed wine and water 
is passed to the assembly. After the ceremony the priest and bridal 
party walk three times around the maloy, where rest the cross and 
Gospels. When the exhortation is said the pair must kiss three times. 
Then there is a benediction, and the bride and bridegroom go to- 
gether and kiss all the holy pictures on the iconastas. The whole 
proceeding occupies half an hour. 

If the marriage is in society circles a feast follows at the house 
of the bride's parents, and the guests get drunk. If the marriage is 
in the families of the peasantry the bridegroom leads the bride to his 
home. There, on the steps to the house, his parents stand to greet 
them, and they are blessed with bread and salt. While this is going 
on some of the neighbors present give them milk to drink and pour 
over them barley and down. The first is in hope that the children of 
the couple may be white instead of black, and the second that the 
newly-mated may live harmoniously, for many Russian husbands and 
wives fight like dogs and cats. 

The couple enter the house and receive the customary courtesies 
and favors. They sit down on a bench, and the mother-in-law or 
some other female relative removes the handkerchief which covers 
the blushing bride's face, braids her loose tresses and places upon her 
head a married woman's head-dress. 

It is now late at night, may be, but a wedding breakfast is served 
with great spirit. Originally it was the custom, among the peasants, 
for the bride and bridegroom to retire during the breakfast. Then, 
as now, all men on all occasions wore boots, and although then, as 
now, every bed chamber had a bootjack, the bride must pull off her 
lord's boots. Before the marriage ceremony he fixed a scheme to de- 
termine her lot in life. In one boot he secreted the surplus gold and 
silver coin he possessed. If the bride pulled the boot containing the 
valuables first she not only got the money, but immunity against ever 
drawing her husband's boots in the future. If, however, she first got 
hold of the boot not containing the money, she was subject to her 
husband's whims. If he chose to use her hands for a bootjack at any 
time he was licensed to do so, and she had no recourse. Some such 
plan as this in America might settle the question : Who shall get up 
first and kindle the fire ? 

Of course, in the higher Russian circles, the customs partake 
more of the American and English. But in the country and among 



SUPERSTITIOUS WOMEN. 



115 



the ordinary folks the olden-time usages are observed even now. 
The wife is expected to stay at home and look after her many chil- 
dren and know nothing. The fasts and festivals of the church afford 
about the only relief from monotony a Russian wife ever finds. Liv- 
ing away from the world, it is no wonder the Russian women so often 
depend upon the witchcraft of female medical advisers for their phy- 
sical cures and have so many superstitions about spiritual ailments, 
All Russian women are superstitious, and the percentage of those ed- 
ucated is probably lower than among any other civilized women in 
the world. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

There are the strangest superstitions surrounding the ceremonies 
and directing the conduct of funerals in Russia. 

A native never thinks of passing a funeral procession or a coffin 
going through the streets without uncovering his head. The sight 
of a coffin is sufficient to quell a quarrel, while a fight is invariably 
stopped at the appearance of a funeral cortege. 

Every undertaker is supplied with a number of torches on long 
poles, the shape of a street lamp-post. These are carried at the head 
of funeral processions. Generally six of these torches or lamps are 
at the head of a procession ; but occasionally a dying man or woman 
may request that twenty, forty, or some larger number of lights be car- 
ried, and then it is a torchlight procession. 

The monks of the Church of Russia have charge of the funeral 
arrangements, and in the absence of friends they do the mourning 
and moaning. Pitiable scenes, in the eyes of strangers, are often 
presented by the monks, who make no regular charge for their ser- 
vices, but expect from two roubles upward. 

After the services at the house the monks form the procession to 
the grave. The corpse is swathed in a gown which sometimes pre- 
sents a flashy appearance, and jewels are strewn over its front. 
When the coffin is ready to be lowered into the grave a perfect howl 
is set up by the monks ; but they are hushed by the one in charge of 
the ceremony. Then begin the tossing of dirt into the depths and 
the chanting of the death-song. When the corpse is in the ground, 
the grave filled, and the procession starts upon its return to the dis- 
tressed home, there are smiles and hearty greetings. At the house 
there is a feast and a flow of wine, to which all who attend the fu- 
neral sit down. 

Coffins and caskets in Russia are seldom made of anything other 
than metal. One of the leading undertakers in St. Petersburg told 
me that only the paupers were buried in wooden coffins. The wealthy, 
he explained, always order the "finished" iron or tin. This, I was 
shown, meant gilt on Russia iron or the ordinary tin-plate. Some 



FUNERAL FURNISHINGS. 117 

coffins or caskets have the appearance of massive chunks_of silver, 
while others are more ostentatious and look like gold. The idea is 
display. The burial casket is about three feet high at the head, and 
even broader, and tapers down to two feet at the other end. 

Natural flowers are not fashionable. Those made from wax 
or porcelain are most popular. A wax or porcelain floral offering 
may be purchased of any undertaker at from one rouble upward, 
some commanding four hundred roubles. An ordinary coffin costs 
one hundred and fifty roubles, and a fashionable one a thousand. 

In the Bakoum country, where there are Tartars, Greeks, Cauca- 
sians, Cossacks and Persians, funerals are often conducted at night ; 
and the torches appear more on the side of utility than where they 
are carried, in daylight. It is a solemn scene, a procession starting 
out at midnight, when pitch darkness prevails, and proceeding behind 
a lot of torch-bearers to a lonely graveyard. The flickering lights, 
the moans and cries, and sometimes the rattle of drums, combine to 
harrow up the soul. Especially are the ceremonies at the church and 
over .the grave peculiar in effect. Here an embalming process is in- 
dulged in by which the corpse is preserved for years, so that the rela- 
tives may take it out of the ground or vault and renew their memo- 
ries at will. 

Every church has an army of monks, who have renounced all 
physical effort to make a livelihood, and when a death occurs they go 
out and announce to the immediate neighborhood the sad event. 
They prepare the body for burial, get the undertaker, keep the can- 
dles burning for three days and nights, read prayers almost continu- 
ally over the corpse, and see that the flowers are placed in the proper 
manner on the catafalque. The corpse is never left alone ; and thus 
the monks are serviceable as watchers. 

If a well-known person is dead everybody along the roads, in 
the fields, streets, shops, everywhere, upon seeing the funeral pro- 
cession, stops, uncovers his head, is silent, and crosses himself three 
times, whispering meanwhile some portion of one of the numerous 
church prayers. The Russian seems to care little for his life, but has 
the most profound respect for the last rites over his deceased neighbor. 

Inside the church the coffin is laid before the chancel gates, ta- 
pers are handed to all assembled, the Gospel is read, and then a 
prayer is offered. Something described by the sacrilegious as "a 
passport for the dead," but known in the church as "the confession 
of the faithful soul," is placed in the hands of the corpse. It is a 



Il8 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

prayer offered by St. Theodosius, of Keif, for absolution of sin, and 
Emperor Yladimir, who was buried with one in his hand in 988 A. D., 
made it compulsory in burial services. The priest tells the assembly 
to give the deceased the last kiss ; the coffin is closed ; the lid sol- 
dered, and it is carried to the grave. When the priest throws a hand- 
ful of dirt in the grave he exclaims : "The earth is the Lord's and 
the fullness thereof." The wineglass used for extreme unction is 
then thrown into the grave, together with some ashes from the censer. 
Each member of the family throws in a handful of earth, and in many 
places a Russian ladder is erected by the side of the coffin, to assist 
the soul in ascending to Heaven, after which the grave is filled. 

Those of ample means who bury members of their families make 
the event one of atonement for their sins, and have daily Mass said 
at their houses for more than a month. They give to all beggars, 
and spread a midday lunch, to which all are invited. Easter week is 
observed most sacredly by all Russians who have lost members of 
their families. They repeat requiems and load the graves with 
candles, flowers and coins to make the heavenward passage of the de- 
ceased more easy. 

The American must exercise great care and deliberation in act- 
ing upon letters, notes and invitations received from his Russian 
friends. He would do well to consult a native. Should he receive a 
missive making an announcement like this : 

" MikelStrokoff 

scuds his compliments, 

and hopes you may live long, ' ' 

the recipient must not take it for granted that a call is desired, or that 
a dinner or theater party is on hand, for it means that " Mikel Stro- 
koff " is dead, and that this is the Russian way of announcing the 
fact. The proper thing to do is to direct a note to the deceased, at 
his late residence, expressing regret at the death, and wishing that 
the kingdom of Heaven may be the home of the departed friend. 

The manner in which funerals in other portions of Continental Eu- 
rope are conducted is interesting in comparison with the customs of 
Russia. 

When a death occurs in Holland three neighbors or professional 
funeral managers go about making verbal announcement of the fact. 
They first dress in the robes of the church — something like those of 
the Episcopal clergy — and in proceeding from house to house state 



OBSEQUIES ON THE CONTINENT. 



119 



the very minute of the demise, the age of the deceased, the disease 
from which he or she died, and an}^ other information of interest. 
They present a lugubrious appearance with their long black robes, 
high white collars, cocked hats with black plumes, drum-major staffs, 

great cords and 
! fcifc^^v sashes hanging al- 

most to the ground, 
and their funereal 
gait. Everything is 
in charge of these 




three men. The 
family of the 
deceased have 
no care in the 
prepa rations. 
The keys of the 

house are carried by the trio of managers. The family make out a 
list of friends who are to be given special notice of the death, and 
there their physical labor ends. Unless specially desired to the con- 
trary, the body is clothed without interference or suggestion from the 
family. At the funeral these three men ride at the head of the pro- 



120 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

cession, and in the absence of a minister perform the last sad rites. 
At Naples I saw a funeral procession. It was a fashionable one, 
and was in charge of four priests. When it moved from the house of 
the deceased the priests sat at the corners of the coffin, inside the 
hearse. They looked sad, and moaned in heart-rending tones. 
There were four horses to the hearse, and they were completely cov- 
ered with black cloth. The front door to the house of the deceased 
was also covered with black cloth. As soon as the ceremonies were 
completed at the grave the procession started back to the house. The 
black high hats of the priests were removed, but they occupied the 
hearse, and the door to it was closed, although the temperature was 
ii2° in the shade. Instead of tears, now there were smiles and roars 
of laughter. Three of them were eating as the horses ran through 
the streets, while the fourth priest smoked. The intention was to re- 
lieve the family of the pain of the death. Sometimes when a small 
child dies at Naples six Sisters carry the coffin and walk at the head 
of the procession. Occasionally the whole procession is on foot. In 
front of the coffin are two small boys, one carrying a cross, the other 
a basket of flowers. A priest and a small boy may also be seen in 
the front at times. Both are in church-robes. The Italians make a 
funeral very impressive in some respects. 

There is a little village in the South of France where funeral ser- 
vices are carried out in an exceedingly strange manner. The person 
who chances to be at the bedside when the deceased breathes his last 
may say the first rite. This consists principally of a description of 
the appearance of the dead at the last moment in life, a repetition of 
the final words, and a detailed statement of the treatment the de- 
ceased received at the last hour. It is presumed that all present at 
the funeral want to know whether the departed friend was prepared to 
cross the river. Then each member of the immediate family is called 
upon to relate reminiscences of the deceased. 

Anecdotes affecting his or her past life and illustrating good qual- 
ities are proper, and the opportunity is invariably accepted. Then 
there is an obituary essayist. He tells of the life of the deceased in 
a connected form. If the ceremony is over an infant this officer at 
the funeral delineates what the deceased might have been had it 
lived. The funeral cortege is on foot, and the coffin is carried on the 
back of a donkey — a sacred animal. At the grave there is little 
mourning, but much ceremony. 

Here the minister presides, and the teachings of the Bible are 



LENGTHY BURIAL CEREMONIES. 



enunciated by oral illustration. The coffin is opened, the corpse laid 
up on the lid, the eyes are at moments held open, and the extinctness 
of life impressed upon those present. Whenever the grief-stricken fam- 
ily bursts ^ - 
out in ago- f 
nizing tears 
it is inform- 
ed that a sin 
is being 
committed 
by this in- 
terferenc e . 
The work 
of the fune- 
ral day be- 
gins in the early morning and sel- 
dom ends before nightfall. Then 
there is an assembly at the late 
home of the deceased, and the 
culinary ability of the family is 
tested. Good wines flow, philos- 
ophy on death and the life beyond^ 
i s preach- 



ed ; and 
when all are 
dismissed a 
very good 
frame of 
mind pre- 
vails. A 
guard is 
kept over 
the grave 
for thirty 
days. A su- 
pers titi on 
prevails 

that the spirit of the dead, being dissatisfied with the life eternal, may 
return and take away the mortal body. 

In the Alps of Switzerland one morning I met a couple of old 




122 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

women carrying a very rough pine box, on the lid of which was a sim- 
ple wreath of grass. One was the mother of the dead child the box 
contained, while the other was the mother's sister. On and on they 
went, saying not a word till they reached the little stone church 
around the mountain side. There they found, sitting out in front and 
awaiting them, a priest. Inside the chapel the box was opened, and 
a single lily, blessed by the priest, was laid on the breast of the silent 
and dainty sleeper. The priest read the service from the book of the 
church, after which the little box was taken into the churchyard and 
deposited in a freshly-made grave, all the work of the priest. As the 
grief-stricken mother and her companion were departing the priest 
took off his low-crowned, broad-rimmed hat, looked fairly at the ris- 
ing sun, and uttered a short blessing. 

On a hot afternoon in Rome I saw six monks bathing their faces 
at a fountain. Inquiry revealed the fact that they had just returned 
from a funeral. They had been weeping vigorously for four hours — 
for ten francs each. Hurrying forward a short distance into the He- 
brew quarter, near the forum of St. Peter, I saw another procession, 
similar to the one in which the monks had taken part. Twenty feet 
ahead of all others walked a six-foot monk, bearing aloft a crucifix. 
His head was uncovered, although the thermometer registered 117 . 
Following were six monks, carrying torches as large as the street 
lamps. Their long beards flowed over their breasts, and the dust set- 
tled in clouds on their closely-clipped hair. The family and hundreds 
of friends, in double file, made up the procession. 

A Parisian funeral is conducted more on the American plan than 
any other on the Continent. There is an unnecessa^ amount of star- 
ing at the corpse, of dress display, and of fine horseflesh in the pro- 
cession ; but the finer senses of the Parisians have overcome that sto- 
icism which prevailed a few years ago, when the wake was popular. 
There are no compunctions about fast driving. The floral display is 
often carried in a separate vehicle, and tears of grief and pleasure 
commingle so closely that one does not distinguish between them. 



CHAPTER XX. 



On a hill to the east 
of Moscow stands an old 
prison. From this point 
depart for exile in Sibe- 
ria all of the condemned 
enemies of the empire 
who are convicted in 
this locality. 

There are no scenes 
presented on the stage 
more affecting or thrill- 
ing than those depicting 
the departure of exiles 
from this prison. Every 
Sunday afternoon the}^ 
are brought from their 
cells to the open court 
inside the walls, where 
they are permitted to 
meet their relatives and 
friends and take a final 
farewell. The proceed- 
ings are more agonizing 
than those around a deathbed, for life in Siberia is a living death. 
The priests visit the condemned and minister to their spiritual 
wants ; but there is nothing permitted that will palliate the physical 
pain. 

The exile looks back upon the spires and domes of Moscow as 
he is taken away, and bids the world adieu, as did the condemned 
who passed over the Bridge of Sighs from the Doge's Palace at 
Venice and entered the prison for execution a century ago. About 
fifteen per cent, of the exiles die on the way to Siberia. Many re- 




124 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

fuse to sleep or eat, wishing to wear their lives away ; and some suc- 
ceed before reaching their destination. 

On the road to exile the prisoners are frequently visited by the 
peasants, who sympathize with them, serve to them delicacies and 
offer words of cheer. It has become a custom of late for the officers 
in charge, in order to avoid the jeers of the crowds and harrowing 
scenes when relatives meet, to pass through the thickly-settled com- 
munities at night. Mothers, wives and sweethearts often follow the 
exiles for days and weeks, until the border-line is passed, when the 
last parting takes place. 

If there are many of the exiles when the start is made to Siberia 
they are frequently taken all the distance on foot. Should the party 
be of small size, it is customary to extend some conveniences. Pris- 
oners who can afford to leave civilization in comparative luxury de- 
part in tarantasses — covered hacks or voitures — a comfortable vehicle 
of transportation. There are always a certain number of days given 
the exile who provides his own transportation within which to reach 
the boundary-line and enter the exile kingdom. A date is fixed for 
departure and also the time when he must report to the officers at the 
last outpost. The intervening time is occasionally spent in an enjoy- 
able way with the officers having charge of the exile, who live in 
luxurious fashion at inns and about the communes en route. 

One cannot imagine a journey more gloomy and exhausting than 
that upon which an average party of exiles starts from Moscow, not 
to mention the sadness which must occupy the reflections of the pris- 
oners. They journey ten or twelve miles a day when on foot, and 
are afforded regular sleeping-places. Bach carries a chain weighing 
four pounds upon his feet and hands. Murderers, patriots, conspira- 
tors and thieves, men and women, are chained together without dis- 
tinction. 

Up to a few years ago more than sixty thousand exiles to Siberia 
passed through Kazan every year ; but the authorities say the num- 
ber has been reduced two-thirds at the present time. The exiles are 
permitted to communicate with each other on their journey; and 
after each has related his or her experience to the other, explaining 
the circumstances under which apprehension, conviction and sen- 
tence were brought about, they try to make one another as happy as 
possible, the cheerful ones singing songs, while the sad ones wail in 
chorus. 

Over the Ural Mountains, beyond the confines of Europe, the 



ON THE WAY TO SIBERIA. 125 

exiles plod their way, crossing rivers, wading through mud, climbing 
hills, in rain or snow ; descending into the region of Zabaikalia, be- 
yond L,ake Baikal to the River Kara, and probably by water to the 
end of their journey. On the way are several houses of detention, 
where the common criminals are confined ; one is for political con- 
victs of the delicate sex. . These prisons are detached buildings on 
the river's bank, and at intervals of from five to eight miles. They 
are under the general supervision of a chief. The political prison, 
consisting of four buildings, has a specific organization and a special 
management. A short distance above Oust-Kara is what is known as 
the Lower Kara Prison. Then the High Kara Prison is reached, and 
further on the Amour, a prison named after the River Amour. 

Political prisons are recognized by the characteristic surround- 
ings. Those destined for ordinary convicts have outer walls or pali- 
sades on the three sides, the fourth being open, with the front win- 
dows facing the public thoroughfare. The political prisons are built 
in the middle of a court, and are surrounded on every side by walls 
so high that you can only see the roof ; so that the outside world is 
shut off almost as completely as if the prisoner was within the con- 
fines of his ultimate destination. Much more freedom is given the 
common criminal than is granted the political offender. 

The last pull at the heart-strings of the exiles and the friends 
who follow them is on the frontier-line. Posts at frequent intervals 
mark the line between Siberia and Russia proper. There is a patrol 
of soldiers and detectives on this frontier who do not permit anyone 
to enter into or emerge from it unless by special permission of the 
Governor-General. If the incoming exiles arrive on the frontier-line 
early in the day, and many friends have followed, frequently two or 
three hours are given for the parting. This is the point where the 
tear-fountains are pumped dry. Fathers part with wives and children 
forever. Mothers press to their bosoms sons and daughters for the 
last time on earth. Here the friends turn back to their homes on the 
long, dreary route, over which they have traveled for weeks, and the 
condemned disappear in the prisons-land. 

So much has been written about life in exile that I shall pass 
over this with very brief mention. 

Siberia is like one great barrack. It is a territory, too arid and 
barren for successful utility, but in many places is covered with fine 
forests and dotted with valuable mines. It is generally believed, out- 
side of Russia, that all Siberian exiles are required to work in the 



126 



A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



mines. This is not true. Only a portion are sentenced to the mines — 
those who are condemned to hard labor. Exile in Siberia means, as 
a general rule, only enforced life in a certain expanse of country. 
The Government allows a pension to some exiles sufficient to scantily 
clothe and feed them. The allowance is about six roubles a month. 
This will procure a place to sleep and coarse food. Once here, it is 
next to impossible to getaway. The exile in the first place is landed 
in the heart of a wild country, surrounded by 
little or no civilization, and, being clothed in 
uniform, it is out of the question to think of 
escape, even though he is provided with food 
and raiment for the long journey. 

Much like sections of Alaska and the ex- 
treme northwestern portion of the United 
States is the face of the country in Siberia. 
There are settlements, villages formed by ex- 
iles and soldiers, and in some instances small 
manufactories. But the officers in the Russian 
army, who have control of everything, make 
the existence of the inhabitants miserable 
where the exiles themselves would secure a 
little sunshine. There are a few cases on rec- 
ord where the exiles, by dint of much labor 
and shrewd management, have succeeded in ac- 
cumulating some property and have used this 
to effect escape ; but they are strokes of fortune 
rare as strokes of lightning, and are not worth the struggle. 

Once in Siberia the exile is the same as in jail, with the excep- 
tion that he has the open air and plenty of room in which to move. 
Inasmuch as no firearms, except those in the possession of the sol- 
diers, are allowed in the country, and the colonies are kept small, a 
successful rising is not possible. If the exiles were permitted to com- 
mingle freely, and were afforded an opportunity to organize, even 
without arms, they would make frequent trouble, for they are in a 
desperate frame of mind. In the first place, the majority of the 
exiles are persons who have offended the throne, and they were 
moved to the offense through a desire to check real or fancied wrongs 
against the people. They were frenzied by despotism. People of 
this character have no regard for life and no fear of death. The Ni- 
hilist who destroyed Alexander II. was willing to be destroyed at the 




DISAFFECTION IN THE ARMY. 127 

same time. All who have moved against a royal life in Russia have 
been willing to die for their acts. 

Quite as many or more army and other officers are stationed in 
Siberia to guard the exiles, who number possibly hundreds of thou- 
sands, as are in the military and naval services of the United States. 
So extreme have been the punishments of the exiles, and so unjust, 
and so many innocent persons have been exiled, that many of the 
Government's officers are becoming disgusted, and a number of them 
are ready to conspire with the men over whom they are expected to 
keep guard. Should Russia become engaged in a war which would 
lessen the Siberian forces sufficiently to warrant an insurrection, it 
would surely come, and the system of exile would be no more. It is 
maintained, because it is a dreadful mode of punishment and enables 
the Government to drag-net many of its subjects and suppress all 
open dissatisfaction at a comparatively small expense. It would re- 
quire an enormous outlay to provide prisons for the exiles. As it is 
they are dumped into a country which they cannot leave, where they 
are safe, and are given a trifling pittance to subsist upon. 

American and English excursionists sometimes extend their trips 
to Southern Siberia and have a pleasant journey. Here the climate 
is very like that in Finland and Old Russia. Towns, small cities and 
beautiful residences are seen. In places there is active life, and en- 
terprise hardly to be expected under the circumstances. Other por- 
tions of Siberia would be developed were it not that they cannot 
be made either pleasant or profitable places of abode with so many 
criminals and eccentric persons. 

Among the most numerous class in Siberia are the writers. They 
are very readily convicted and summarily dealt with, landed in Si- 
beria, it is the ambition of the educator of public opinion to tell the. 
outside world his condition and the horrors of the country. Here one 
could find sufficient foundation for any number of romances and he- 
roic narratives. There are no mails, but various schemes are resorted 
to in order to get letters out to friends. Occasionally, in the columns 
of newspapers outside of Russia, appear letters from Siberian exiles,, 
detailing life there, and they are touching enough to harrow the soul ;, 
but they have little effect upon the authorities. I am told that they 
would not object to the publication of these letters within the em- 
pire, as they take pride in keeping up the reputation of the country, 
since to reflect upon life in exile has a wholesome influence on would- 
be Nihilists. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



An interesting place to visit is 
the retail market at St. Peters- 
burg. In the first place, the Rus- 
sians eat the most strange things 
of any civilized people, and have 
the oddest way of displaying 
what they have to sell in the 
markets. Then they have a dis- 
tinctive style of buying. 

The building in which this mar- 
^i^ffir -rLjJjl JP'' ''ll ' -£* cet ' 1S con ducted is low, long and 
|||p1j^M/ ' f^ffl 'jllf'iw'f 1 ''' 4 broad. Here, as everywhere else, 

is found that staple article of food, 
caviar. As the season for vege- 
table and fruit-growing in Russia 
is so short, nearly all fruits and 
vegetables come from hot-houses. 
Grapes, peaches, pears and many 
kinds of berries come from Odessa 
and the Black Sea country. All are grown in hot-houses. Everything 
is sold by the pound, there being no measures on the Continent and 
few in England. 

On every hand are strange-looking vegetables — artichokes that 
look like the flower of the thistle ; cucumbers an inch in diameter, 
two feet long and green as grass ; cabbages the size and shape of bil- 
liard balls ; cranberries no larger than buckshot ; pickled cauliflowers 
and pears having the appearance of sea lilies. The strawberries are 
as small as the blueberries ; but the red raspberries are the largest 
and richest I ever saw. These are worth twenty copecks a pound. 

In summer-time fish are all sold alive. It is rare that a dead 
fish is seen on the Russian markets, and then it is one of the large 
variety, like the salmon. Yats two or three feet deep, probably four 
feet square, and half-filled with water, swarm with fish ; but each spe- 




MARKET SUPPLIES IN WINTER. 129 

cies is kept separate from the other, thus requiring many vats in a 
single stall, as there are numerous kinds of fish sold by every dealer. 
Long, slender, slimy eels, starlits, bass, pike, white bait, smelts and 
all the other varieties found in Russian waters may here be selected 
and taken away alive. 

In the winter all fish except those which are dried or smoked are 
sold in a frozen state. During the early part of September fishermen 
begin to catch their winter -supply and place them in vats. These are 
frozen in blocks to suit the orders of customers. The dealers buy 
many tons at a time ; often enough to supply their demands for six 
months. The same is true of all kinds of meats. Beef, mutton, etc., 
are frozen at one time for the whole winter. Retail dealers lay in 
their supply of fresh meats for the entire winter during October ; and 
the beef eaten in April next will be that which was slaughtered in 
October. This is on account of the extreme difficulty attending the 
killing of cattle in the winter and the expense of keeping them. 

Salt sturgeon is for sale at eve^ meat stall, and commands twen- 
ty-two copecks a pound. The serfs buy it, although no American 
could be forced to keep it on his stomach. The better grades of fish 
are more expensive by one-half than in America ; and, in fact, all 
eatables are higher in Russia than in this country. Fish play an ex- 
ceedingly important part in the domestic economy of the Russians. 
They are cooked in all conceivable styles, and not infrequently are 
eaten raw. 

At Moscow the markets are conducted in an open square during 
the summer and in an old spacious building in winter. Here, as in 
St. Petersburg, there are runners for every stall, and as soon as a pur- 
chaser appears with a basket, he is besieged by the vendors. Men 
swarm around you with fowls, pieces of meat, fish and vegetable 
boxes, and, praising their goods, beg you to buy. Most of the deal- 
ers are unscrupulous and will take advantage by any hook or crook. 
The markets are open every day in the year, except Easter, when 
all business places are closed. Lamb's feet are among the choice 
tid-bits. The hoofs of calves are sold for soup-bones. The vegeta- 
bles are watery and the fruits almost tasteless. Game and domestic 
fowls are all dressed, except for Jewish customers. 

Everything in Russia is unique. The retail markets are no ex- 
ception to the rule. They differ in every respect with those in other 
countries of Europe. 

Probably the largest markets in Europe are at London. Here 



130 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

there are permanent buildings and systems, as in New York, Boston, 
Philadelphia and other American cities. The Covent Garden Market 
afforded me a place for amusement and instruction one afternoon in 
June. Southern France furnishes London the early fruits, and they 
are received by consignment and sold at auction. It is common to 
see a wagon-load of ox-heart cherries or peaches or plums knocked 
off every minute to the highest bidder. The cries of the auctioneers 
are almost deafening at times. The vegetables do not differ materi- 
ally from those seen in American markets, except that tomatoes are 
Scarce, and corn and &gg plants are never seen. The gardeners 
seem to make a specialty of certain articles. One wagon will come 
in from the garden loaded with only watercr esses, while another has 
mint, another garlic, another cucumbers, and so on ; and each ap- 
pears to avoid the possibility of a glut. Thus the prices are uniform. 
The cherries are laid smoothly in neat, light, pine boxes, containing 
one, two or three gallons ; and those on top are as even as the teeth 
in a saw. It is a scene worth looking at to witness the opening of 
cases of onions, radishes, lettuce and other early vegetables at the 
London markets, fresh from France; for there is the greatest neat- 
ness and order. Strawberries are grown in the vicinity of London to 
an enormous size. The bulk of the meat comes from Australia and 
America, the former shipping frozen and the latter live flesh. The 
famous English mutton is bred in certain localities on a particular 
feed, and even a patriotic Yankee must award it the palm of superi- 
ority. 

The markets at Yienna and Dresden are in open squares, and 
protection from the sun and rain is afforded by umbrellas of heavy 
white duck ten or twelve feet in diameter. At Dresden everything is 
taken to market in long, slender carts drawn by dogs. The dogs are 
large and sagacious, and know the location of their mistresses' stands 
perfectly. As they approach the square in the early morning their 
tongues protrude, they pant and froth at the mouth, and making a 
bee-line for their destination, crawl under the carts and keep guard 
until the day's work is done. Scarcely a man is seen about the mar- 
ket, either buying or selling. 

Yery similar are the markets at Hamburg, Germany. Here is a 
low, long, one-story shed for the meat stalls, while the vegetables 
and fruits are sold in the open square about. The meat is all hung 
up on pegs ; not a pound rests on a board. Fruits, vegetables, and 
in fact almost everything, are sold from baskets and on the old-fash- 



CONTINENTAL MARKETS. 



131 



ioned scales. Garlic, great yellow cucumbers, carrots, sage, beans 
and herbs of every kind, are in profusion. Flowers and all sorts of 
nDtions are sold. Fish are cured in every conceivable form and are 
sold from baskets like vegetables. 

Paris has her markets in the streets and sidewalks. On a Sun- 
day morning one can scarcely get ' 
through certain portions of the city 
on account of the market fixings. 
Peas and beans are in boxes and 
baskets, and occupy a large por- 
tion of the space on every hand. 

In Milan boys and little girls go 
around with small lambs, young 
pigeons and mocking-birds for 
sale. Macaroni is here a staple 
diet, as at Genoa and other Italian 
cities, and can be had at almost 
any price or in any shape. 

The Campo de Fieorie Market 
at Rome is the most uncleanly of 
the lot. Women, men and chil- 
dren, in filth, flies and vermin, 
sell all kinds of noxious and un- 
palatable stuff, in dirty little rooms, 
and prefer to be unkempt rather 
than presentable on the same 
terms. In Rome during the warm 
weather, which is almost continu- 
ous, the laborers work from 4.30 
a. m. till 12 noon; then rest till 
3 and work till dark, which re- 
quires the markets to be open long 
hours. Boys push meat carts 
through the streets and dress 
lambs a fortnight of age on the 
front steps of a residence. Tripe, 

lemonade, fish, onions, honey, asparagus, the entrails of animals and 
fowls, pomegranates and citrons, are hauled around in the same carts 
and sold on the same scales. 

The markets at Florence are conducted in the open air the year 




132 A HOOSI3R IN RUSSIA. 

round, except for the sale of meats. These are in small shop-rooms, 
and the counters where the cutting is done are situated about ten feet 
above the floor. When you enter a Florentine meat-stall you are con- 
fronted by a man perched up like an auctioneer on a high counter. 

The fish market at Venice is exceptionally interesting. It is lo- 
cated on the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city. As the gray of 
dawn appears scores of gondolas may be seen gliding in that direc- 
tion. Bach one drags a round willow or split basket, closely cov- 
ered. These are filled with fish, each dealer making a specialty of 
a certain variety. The market is conducted under a long shed, and 
the baskets containing the fish remain in the water till a call is 
made by a customer. Then they are drawn up, the fish taken out, 
and down they are dropped till needed again. Early in the morn- 
ing during the summer one can look from his window in any di- 
rection and see gondolas going toward the markets, filled with vege- 
tables, women and children. The women are busy stringing' beans, 
shelling peas or arranging the onions, carrots and other things in 
bunches. When they return at night the "merry song of the gon- 
dolier" may be heard if the day has been successful. 

Berlin has the best market on the Continent : better buildings, 
greater supplies and sup&rior goods. Fish are here sold from vats, 
and are kept alive. There is every variety of game and domestic 
fowl to be had within a thousand miles, and they are in the best con- 
dition. Steers, veal calves, lambs and other animals are dressed com- 
plete — that is, their heads and tails are skinned and kept intact oh the 
trunks. Inflated bladders are hung about everywhere, for sale, while 
sausages, a dozen kinds of cheese, and mushrooms are to be had at 
every step. There is an abundance of fruit brought in by small row 
and canal-boats on the Spree every day, and everything is sold under 
the closest scrutiny of the market-masters. 



CHAPTER XXII. 




HEY have a funny way of moving things 
in Moscow. I saw a procession of men go- 
ing through the streets with the household 
effects of a well-known family. Four of 
them had the piano resting on their shoul- 
ders, while a range was carried by two 
others. Then followed men in single file 
with tables, mirrors, trunks, wash-boilers, 
tubs, bed-clothing and other goods on their 
heads. Wagons are seldom employed in hauling articles from one 
part of the city to another. 

A Russian transfer or freight man carries around under his arm a 
head-pad about the size of the crown of a large cap. It is usually 
made of leather and stuffed with hair or hay. It is soft, and four 
inches thick. On a plate attached to his coat lapel is a word announc- 
ing that he is an expressman. He has no cart, horse or help. This 
man, single-handed and alone, contracts to remove all kinds of goods 
as rapidly and safely as if they were in charge of the great express 
companies of New York, Baltimore or Chicago. He associates with 
him, if there is heavy furniture or haste in the work, a number of his 
confreres ; and the men, sometimes to the aggregate of a score, simply 
walk into the house, pick up the goods, and carry them out and to 
their destination in a twinkle. 

There is no groaning, packing, raising or adjusting about drays 
or wagons. When the men get their loads on their heads they start 
out, in Indian file, and make a little procession through the city. 
They never go down an unfrequented street, as they would lose an 
opportunity of advertising their trade. A Russian thinks no more of 
picking up a warm cooking-stove, placing it on his head and walking 



'34 



A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 



a couple of versts, without rest, than an American would of 
an extra overcoat. 

At Genoa, the principal port of Italy, I saw a moving 
few weeks before reaching Russia 
which almost rivaled those I have 
viewed in the Tsar's dominions. 
A diminutive donkey was the ve- 
hicle of transfer. The dear little 
thing was scarcely 
larger than a six- ^ 

weeks-old calf, and # 

its ears were of 
greater length and 
breadth than those 
of any ass I have 
ever seen in the 
United States. 



carrying 




Across its back was a frame of 
wood and straps quite as capa- 
cious as a hay-rack for a two- 
horse wagon. The goods were 
packed on in something like 
this order : Center, dining-room 
and writing tables ; ajbookcase, 
—-,-"-.* • two stoves, three 1 mattresses, 

two trunks and four or five 
satchels ; a refrigerator, a cabinet, half-a-dozen pictures in frames, a 
mandolin, two accordions and a violin, two wardrobes, bed-clothing 



DONKEYS AS FURNITURE MOVERS. 135 

and bedsteads for a large family, and the personal clothing and bric-a- 
brac of the entire household. On the head of the donkey were tied 
a bundle of newspapers, books and a roll of music, so that I had to 
stop and take a long, careful survey of the moving load before I could 
discover what furnished the motivt power. 

Immediately in the rear of this household-moving scene, which is 
the usual thing, came another donkey, which was used as a vehicle 
for retailing milk and fruits. On its back also was a large frame. On 
the frame were adjusted several heavy cans of milk, a dozen baskets 
of fruits, and the various measures and pair of scales used in the 
trade. Two minutes later I saw a train of a dozen donkeys loaded 
with iron for the improvement of the street railway. The iron was 
tied across the donkeys' backs the long way, and the weight would 
have been considered a good load for two horses in America. It is 
not uncommon to see a donkey carrying a load of railroad bars weigh- 
ing two thousand pounds ; and a ton is not a small wagon-load in most 
countries. 

Speaking of railroad iron for the street tramways in Genoa, I 
must tell what kind of street railways they really have there, and in 
Russia also. I was on a street-car one morning in Genoa, going out 
toward the barracks. It was a single track, and no switches were in 
sight ; yet I saw pretty soon another car coming on the same track 
and directly toward us. On it came, at a rapid run, till the two cars 
were within one hundred feet of each other. The movement was 
not slackened, and I began to fear there would be a collision, when 
the car I sat in suddenly turned off the track and went round the 
other. After bumping along a short distance on the boulders, it ran 
on the track again, never lessening its speed. I thought this a very 
strange and unusual movement, and began to conclude it was to avoid 
delay and to meet an emergency, when the car came to an abrupt cor- 
ner of the street. Instead of keeping on the track, it ran off on the 
street and cut across, taking the track again when it was reached in 
the natural course of events. 

There are no flanges on the wheels of the car, and therefore the 
streets and wheels are not injured in the least by the practice ; yet 
the mules have a hard pull at it. But no one in Italy cares for mules 
or donkeys. On the contrary, the people rather enjoy seeing them 
have a hard time. 

In St. Petersburg the street-cars are similarly constructed to those 
in Paris, but are a little larger. They are almost as long as a pas- 



136 A HOOSIER IN RUSSIA. 

senger coach on an American railroad, have double decks, or two 
stories, and accommodate over sixty passengers without crowding. 
A stairway winds up at the rear of the cars leading to the long seats 
above, over wdiich is a wooden roof or canopy; and the passengers 
have the privilege of a seat in the breeze above or in the inclosure 
below, the latter being like the interior of American street-cars. 
Bight horses are used when there is snow on the ground, four of them 
being hitched abreast. 

At Naples I saw a merchant moving his store. The goods ap- 
peared to be of a general character. A regular transfer wagon was 
employed. This consisted of a vehicle with four wheels, sixteen 
inches in diameter and of uniform size. To the wagon were hitched 
a large Roman cow and a Naples donkey. The former was taller, 
longer and more lank than any of the bovine family to be found in all 
Texas, while the latter was as small as one of Barnum's Shetland po- 
nies. The tongue of the vehicle was at the side of the cow, and the 
donkey was hitched up on the other side of it. The idea I had at 
first glance w T as that the donkey was thrown in as a kind of helper, 
and that but little was expected of it. I soon saw my error. The 
donkey was tied to or hitched against a .whiffletree, while the cow 
pulled from the side of the tongue. It can be seen that the draft of 
the donkey was direct and effective, while that of the cow was indi- 
rect and not effective. There were loads of hardware, casks of wine, 
hogsheads of sugar and sacks of coffee, till the vehicle was a sight. 

But the unfairness to and utility of the donkey were not yet. 
When no more could be put on the wagon, which was only three feet 
wide and twenty-five long, like a broad board, the donkey was loaded 
up. First, three bags of coffee were tied on its back, and then a 
bundle of pelts, as if the poor little thing would feel badly if it was 
not employed as a beast of burden in all the ways one is used. No 
one protested ; no one seemed to pity the donkey. There were a 
couple of old women who, while the load was being taken off, tried 
to milk the cow. They were detected by the expressman's boy and 
cuffed away from the premises. The cows are driven around the city 
and milked as the fluid is sold. 

One morning in Venice I was awakened from my slumbers by a 
continuous yelling. There was a perfect din of voices below me, and 
I got out of bed and went to the window, which overlooked one of 
the usual thoroughfares — a narrow canal. Five gondolas were inter- 
locked, and the gondoliers were cursing hot. Two or three times the 



COLLISION IN A VENITIAN CANAL. 137 

men took up their oars, and raising them aloft threatened to strike. 
I was not so much interested in the impending hostilities as the con- 
tents oi the gondolas. These are longer, broader and deeper than 
the row-boats seen in the United States, and turn abruptly up at 
the bow, which is ornamented by a steel broad-ax. The propel- 
ling power is from the afterpart of the craft, and by a single long 
oar, which is twirled or worked in a socket against a post. Each 
gondola was filled with household goods. It looked as though three 
or four hotels were moving. Furniture, bed-clothing and personal 
effects of every description were piled up twenty feet high, so that it 
was impossible for a man in the stern to see where the prow of his 
gondola was going. Three of them were pointed in one direction, 
while two were bound for an opposite location. They had collided, 
and into the canal about six wagon-loads of goods were dumped. 
While the gondoliers were swearing and trying to extricate their gon- 
dolas, there were floating about in .the water mattresses, tables and 
clothing ; and now and then a stove or a piece of tinware would drop 
off and go to the bottom of the canal. The perplexities of the men 
engaged seemed to be a little more wearing than those of the donkeys 
at Genoa and Naples, while the burdens appeared more irksome than 
those I saw on the heads of the less irritable Russians. 

While going over the Alps of Switzerland I saw a household- 
moving scene which was quite as interesting and unique as any I have 
described. I was leaving Chamonix for Martign}', and had pro- 
ceeded but a couple of miles, when, as we were winding up the side 
of a mountain five or six thousand feet high, I saw from the seat I 
occupied in the voiture what appeared to be a drove of pigs. 

I watched the trailing objects for some minutes, when they dis- 
appeared, and I forgot them till two hours had elapsed, when my at- 
tention was suddenly attracted to seven old women, three old men and 
a boy, loaded with every conceivable personal effect used in a house- 
hold. The}' were immediately ahead of our vehicle and in the mid- 
dle of the road. Bach had strapped on his or her back a basket of 
funnel shape, two feet across at the mouth, three feet long, and made 
of wood. These were filled with small articles ; after which bed- 
clothing, picture-frames, cases, cabinets and chairs were tied on the 
shoulders. One old woman had on her head and shoulders a small 
cooking-stove, while a man who looked to be four-score 3 r ears old 
carried a big chest. Their journey was to be twenty-two miles that 
day, and the angle was an ascension of not less than fifteen degrees 



i3$ 



A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 



on the average. I learned subsequently that nearly all the moving 
done by the residents in the Alps is left to the old people — and they 
grow to be centenarians, and so shriveled that the sex is distinguished 
only by the garments they wear. Nearly all the women have at their 
throats great goitres — bags of serous fluid bigger than a hat. Opin- 
ion is divided as to the causes which produce them. The physicians 
say they come from drinking glacier water, while those not versed in 
medicine hold that they are the result of wearing straps about the 
neck, suspended from which are baskets for the transportation of farm 
products or express goods. 




CHAPTER XXIII. 

When finally I passed over the frontier of Russia and entered 
Germany, where there are free speech, a free press and free educa- 
tion, I found myself so impressed by what I considered imperiousness 
and oppression in the country of the Tsar, that I determined to make 
inquiry as to what had brought Russia into such unenviable promi- 
nence. 

A short time afterward I was in London, where one hears more 
about the cruelties of Russia than in any other quarter of the globe. 
The Englishman hates Russia and her institutions quite as fervently 
as does the Russian despise the Englishman and his Government, 
forms and institutions. Before leaving America I read two or three 
books published by Sergius M. Stepniak, the widely-known Russian 
Nihilist, who has lived in exile for many years, but who from the out- 
side manages to conduct one branch of the revolutionary movement 
in his country. 

Having read so much attacking the Russian form of government 
by this man, and having seen a great deal of the country and its 
people, I resolved to meet him, learn how he lived, what character 
of man he is, his real objection to the empire he is fighting, how he 
is conducting his work, and what he has accomplished by it. 

A Nihilist is always difficult to locate, and it is with more or less 
trouble that one can induce him to talk. Stepniak is a well-known 
character in Eondon. He is thirty-eight years old, large, finely-de- 
veloped, intellectual and cultured. His home is in the midst of a 
beautiful grove in St. John's Wood — a suburb of the world's metrop- 
olis. It is a charming spot where his modest little cottage is located, 
and I found the great Nihilist to be in most respects like the average 
litterateur, with an abundance of books, magazines and newspapers 
about him, and a fund of mental food for the entertainment of his 
guests. In an afternoon's talk with him, and after reading all of the 
books he has written, I am enabled to present the Nihilistic side of 
the Russian struggle, and that which here follows may be regarded as 
the presentation by Mr. Stepniak of his view of the question. 



140 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

Nihilism is revolution. Nihilism is also Communism and So- 
cialism. But Nihilism, as the word is generally used by the revolu- 
tionists, does not necessarily imply violence. It means concentrated, 
systematic effort to supplant the existing forms of government and 
law with other forms and laws. 

The most intelligent Communists or revolutionists believe in 
a constitutional form of government. They recognize, however, 
that a Republic, or representative government, cannot be instituted 
and maintained successfully without education. They are therefore 
striving first for public free schools. They want regularly-constructed 
statutory and constitutional laws, so that there may be system in 
public as well as private affairs. After the people are educated, then 
will come the proposition to change the present form of government. 
Under the existing ignorance, illiteracy and superstition it is acknowl- 
edged by the revolutionists themselves that a constitutional form of 
government, or, in fact, any change of government, would be imprac- 
ticable. The people, after education, want free thought as to religion 
and the disestablishment of the Church of Russia — in fact, such re- 
ligious freedom as Garibaldi gave Italy. They want free speech and 
a free press, so that the various propositions for changes in the ruling 
of the country may be discussed and the most advisable plan adopted. 

All of these demands having been rejected at the very outset by 
the Tsar, and an effort made to put a check upon the growing clamor 
for education and a free expression of sentiment, there is left but one 
recourse, and- that is revolution — a resort to force for the purpose of 
bringing about what civilization naturally develops. At present there 
is no such thing as the right of petition. The Tsar and his Council 
refuse to hear expressions from the people on the proposition of edu- 
cation, or any change in the form of government. The revolutionists 
hope to force the Tsar and his counselors to change their present at- 
titude by presenting, in an impassioned way, a consensus of public 
opinion, showing that their demands are not those of any clique or 
organization, but those of the masses. If the objects desired are not 
attained by persuasive and argumentative means then revolution, 
or war, is to be resorted to. 

Russians are proverbially lovers of their country. It is not a 
mere dislike to things natural that has led to extreme measures to 
change the condition of affairs, but the constant growth of imperious- 
ness on the part of the Tsar in the first instance, and the spreading 
overbearance of the aristocracy latterly. The revolutionists claim to 



STEPNIAK ON NIHILISM. 14 1 

be in a defensive position. They are oppressed beyond endurance, 
and justify the use of violence as the only means of throwing off the 
yoke which has sent one-third of the present generation into base ser- 
vitude and threatens the generations to come. Unlike the revolu- 
tionists in Ireland, Spain and some other countries, where there are 
governmental disturbances, the Russian Nihilists have made no effort 
to spread their work outside their own domain, and have not solicited 
sympathy from foreigners. 

No one should be condemned without first having been heard in 
his own defense. The present systems of general and local govern- 
ment make this absolutely impossible, owing to the Tsar's despotism 
and the autocratic bureaucracy surrounding him. The active body 
of Nihilistic conspirators comprises simply Radicals, Land National- 
ists and Social Democrats. Each of these expect various fruits from 
the establishment of a national representation, just as the various 
sections of the Irish Home Rulers do ; but it is conceded that this can- 
not be a matter of consideration at present, since .there is a vast dif- 
ference between' the condition of the people in Ireland and in Russia. 
The Irish are educated and the Russians are illiterate. 

Most of the work of the revolutionists is now being conducted 
by the clandestine publication of papers and pamphlets propagating 
the idea of liberty and calling Russians to a sense of their dignity as 
men and citizens. These teachings are penetrating the ranks of the 
army and navy, and are touching the judgment of officials. The 
revolutionists take more encouragement from this fact than any other. 
They believe that in the event of an outbreak at any time there will 
be a general disintegration of the" organized forces of the empire ; and 
that when it comes to war the majority will be on the side of those 
striving for liberty. They do not acknowledge that they are rebel- 
ling against the individual rulers of the country, but contend that it 
is rebellion against despotism — the excessive power of the Tsar. The 
conspirators admit that they believe the assassination of a Tsar, oc- 
casionally, is essential to the success of their movement, and that it 
is commendable at any time, on the ground that it impresses the rulers 
and those about them with the deep earnestness and determination of 
the people who protest against existing conditions. 

By the interpretation of the vague laws of the country the revo- 
lutionists and the sympathizers with assassins are equally guilty of 
the high crime of assassination of the Tsar, and are equally pun- 
ished. Even the readers of the regicidal papers who have not imme- 



142 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

diately turned informers are, according to the strict terms of the Rus- 
sian laws, accessories to regicide. They are punished by death when- 
ever the Government chooses to apply the full rigor of the law. 
This extreme interpretation of the law covering conspiracy against 
the crown is made for the purpose of obliterating the propagation of 
public sentiment antagonistic to the present form of government. 

It is held by the Tsar that even the slightest dissatisfaction with 
the status quo should be exterminated ; and if necessary the per- 
son directly affected should be destroyed with the principle he ad- 
vocates. The revolutionists do not defend the principle of political 
assassination except in extreme instances. They hold that assassina- 
tion is the last defense within their power, and that w 7 hen they are 
driven at bay this may be resorted to with justification. 

For the purpose of ascertaining just what the natives at large 
thought of the laws and powers of the Tsar there have been, during 
the past decade or two, a few trials by jury of persons attempting the 
life of the Tsar or those of his immediate Council. In January, 1878, 
Vera £assulibet, a young Nihilist girl, shot at the chief of the St. Pe- 
tersburg police, General Trepoff, inflicting on him a wound in the ab- 
domen, which for many weeks held his life in suspense. By special 
order she was tried by a jury, for the purpose of arriving as nearly 
as possible at the conclusion the public held in the case. The girl 
was promptly acquitted on trial in the March following. 

This and similar isolated instances are constantly pointed out by 
the revolutionists to show that public sentiment condemns the present 
system of trial without jury. Common law-breakers are sometimes 
tried by jury, though the privilege has never been extended to polit- 
ical offenders, who are tried by special courts, or rather special com- 
missions, nominated by the Government ad hoc. 

It is held that the Russian autocracy has used to the utmost the 
advantage which the commissions afford and enormous military forces 
give it to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the people, and to re- 
tain a regime hateful to all of the educated classes, disastrous to their 
material and moral welfare and perilous to the future of the nation 
and the state. 

During the last fifteen years of reaction the press has been grad- 
ually crushed, because it did not cease to speak of the popular griev- 
ances. In the absence of representative institutions the press was 
the only vehicle to give utterance to the popular needs. Now Russia 
has practically no press at all. The censorship and the private orders 



HOW THE DESPOTISM IS KEPT UP. 1 43 

of the ministers prevent it from speaking upon any questions of 
public importance. 'Thus, to quote one illustration out of thousands, 
while all the European papers are indignant at the barbarous sup- 
pression by the Cossacks' whips and the butt-end of soldiers' guns of 
the purely scholarly disturbances in the Russian universities and the 
killing of several disarmed students, the Russian papers are not al- 
lowed to say anything, to publish any detail, beyond the mere reprint 
of the official announcement of the closing of such and such uni- 
versity. 

The popular education, upon which the future of the nation re- 
poses, has been subjected, since 1874, to restrictions which became 
more and more tyrannical as the reaction increased, because the Gov- 
ernment realizes that the masses, in becoming educated, will see 
where the cause of their suffering lies, and will cease to be obedient. 
The inviolability of the person, all the judicial guarantees, the free- 
dom of speech, or rather the freedom of talk, in the sacred precincts 
of men's own houses, are trampled upon shamelessly, because they 
constitute a standing danger to the despotism. For words uttered at 
private parties, in private houses, people of all ages, classes and both 
sexes are arrested, kept in prison, durante beneplacito, or exiled to 
Siberia and other desolate regions by hundreds and thousands, with- 
out even the formality of trial. A simple order of the police suffices. 
No counsel is allowed to visit them ; they are kept ignorant of the 
name of their accuser ; they are informed but vaguely of the na- 
ture of the charge brought against them. Very often they are not 
told of what they are accused, and have to start on their melancholy 
journey with nothing but the knowledge that the police conceived 
suspicions that their political faith was unsound. 

The men and women engaged in the revolutionary movement are 
generally of very good character. They are with scarcely an excep- 
tion educated. They have become feverish from the goadings of im- 
periousness, and are simply striving to obtain freedom. They hold 
that their cause is spreading ; that they already have a major^ of 
the populace with them, and that it is only a question of time when 
they will obtain what they are striving for, even should it be neces- 
sary to secure it by bloodshed. 

' ' Liberty won by assassination ! ' ' exclaimed the renowned Nihil- 
ist. "The phrase has an ugly sound. We are the first to acknowl- 
edge it and to regret it. But is the idea altogether new ? Liberty 
snatched from the oppressions of all the dark ages was the result of 



144 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

struggle, strife and bloodshed. Why, then, should not the assassina- 
tion of Alexander II. prove useful ? It is not the apology for terror- 
ism that we are making, but the analysis of it. The anomaly pre- 
sented by the struggle for liberty in Russia is but a reflection of the 
anomalies inherent in the social condition of the country. In other 
countries which have had a genuine national culture liberal ideas 
have been developed concurrently with the material and intellectual 
development of the classes that stand in need of them, and the result 
has been the overthrow of the autocracy by the revolutionary move- 
ment ; the bourgeoisie, valuing itself upon its influence with the 
working class, and especially with the more intelligent and excitable 
operatives of the towns, has stirred up the people to overthrow the 
ancien regime, and establish upon its ruins the parliamentary institu- 
tions that belong to the new political order. But in Russia nothing 
of this sort is possible. The whole nation languishes under its bar- 
barous and incapable government, and the agricultural class suffers 
most of all. Political freedom will be of the utmost benefit to the 
peasants by enabling them to realize the agrarian reforms which they 
foolishly expect to be made by the Tsar. But this they do not under- 
stand. And the class which has to strive for political freedom is that 
to which it is a boon and necessity in itself — the educated class, called 
in Russia the intelligent class. It has no distinctive origin or posi- 
tion except such as comes by professional occupation. It includes 
the nobility and the educated part of the bourgeoisie, sons of the 
church, as well as officers of the Government. It is upon this class, 
nourished from childhood on the liberal thoughts of the best Euro- 
pean thinkers, and permeated by the most advanced democratic ideas, 
that the actual despotism presses most painfully. Rebellion under 
the existing condition of affairs is inevitable, and we have it now in 
fact. Turn Nature out the door and she comes back through the 
window. 

"It cannot be denied that foreigners, provided they are suffici- 
ently well informed, are the best judges of a country. They possess, 
in the first place, the most valuable requisite for dispassionate obser- 
vation. Besides, as they are new to the country, their senses and 
intellects are more keenly alive to peculiarities that pass unnoticed by 
those born and educated in it. At the time of some great- crisis in 
the history of a nation it is often given to foreigners to discover the 
first symptoms of coming events. Thus the revolutionists point to 
this fact with pride, in connection with their claim that all foreigners 



FOREIGNERS THE BEST OBSERVERS. 



145 



who visit the country are impressed by the oppression that rules, and 
the growing sentiment throughout the world against the conditions 
under which Russia's subjects suffer." 




CHAPTER XXIY. 

There are two sides to every question, and the Russian question 
is not an exception. 

Although there are many laws and customs existing among the 
Russians that are reprehensible, there are those one must admire and 
admit to be just and advantageous. As a body the Russians are good 
people. There are exceptions, of course, just as there are in Amer- 
ica or any other country. The trouble is the stranger most frequently 
meets the exceptions. I do not want it understood that I condemn 
Russia or her people, for I do not. But I believe there is more des- 
potism and oppression, and a more extreme exercise of the individual 
and official power than there should be ; and if there was a greater 
exhibition of humanity on the part of the Tsar and his counselors 
more good would be done and more happiness would be the result. 

In discussing the laws and institutions of Russia the American 
naturally becomes impatient. Changes are wrought in all monarchial 
countries by degrees. There are no political revolutions like those 
constantly taking place to a greater or less extent under constitutional 
forms of government and in Republics. It may be, as has been 
argued to me by intelligent and patriotic Russians, that the subjects 
of the Tsar could not be successfully ruled, and the country could 
not be properly improved, with any other than the present system of 
government. It is held that the very character of the people pre- 
cludes the practicability of a republican form of government, and 
that with so many varieties of blood and character the exercise of the 
franchise, popular elections and expressions from the people are not 
to be considered. 

I would have it understood that any well-intentioned American 
who goes to Russia, armed with a passport properly vised, is perfectly 
safe, if he conducts himself with caution and propriety, and that he 
will find nowhere a more interesting country, more interesting people 
or institutions. 

In considering the defense made by the revolutionists and Nihil- 
ists in Russia of their hostile attitude to the Tsar and his laws, it is 



THE TSAR'S SIDE) OF THE) CASK. 1 47 

interesting to study the position taken by native Russians who are 
loyal to their ruler in advocating his cause. I formed an acquaint- 
ance with one of the most intelligent and instructive of the Tsar's late 
subjects upon my return from Russia to Washington. Count Charles 
d'Arnaud was born, educated, and spent the major part of his life in 
Russia. He is a member of one of the best-known families of the 
empire. He was in the Russian engineer corps during the Crimean 
war, and was one of the army which resisted the gallant charge of 
Tennyson's Noble Six Hundred at the Battle- of Balaklava. During 
the. American civil war he came to this country, was commissioned as 
a Captain, and assigned to duty on General Rosecrans' staff. His 
engineering knowledge and ability as a topographer proved to be 
invaluable to the Union forces. General Grant ascribed to him 
great credit for the manner in which he, at extreme personal risk, 
prepared a rough map of the surroundings of Shiloh, to which was 
due in part the success of the Union army at Hornets' Nest. 

In talking with Count d'Arnaud about Russia and her institutions 
he gave me the following outline of the position of those who uphold 
the existing form of government : 

" Much of the information obtained by journalists, travelers and 
casual students while in Russia is wholly misleading. Failing to un- 
derstand the language, habits and peculiarities of the natives, they 
obtain their facts from sojourners who have no sympathy with or in- 
terest in the country ; from foreigners who have taken up. their resi- 
dence there and are as unappreciative and prejudiced as themselves ; 
from the few natives known to the world as Nihilists, who get their 
inspiration from Bakounin, Krapotkine and other disciples, and from 
still other sources which are more insidious in their methods and suc- 
cessful in their aims to array the English-speaking peoples of the 
world against Russia by constantly crying oppression and despotism. 
I refer to England, English diplomacy and the English press. They 
are evidently moved by jealousy of the growing power and ap- 
proaching supremacy of Russia in the political affairs of the Old 
World. 

' ' The United States has been my home for over thirty years ; I 
am an ardent admirer of its constitution and laws, and I did my share 
toward keeping the States united by service in the war of the rebel- 
lion. Yet with all my love of the liberty inculcated into me by this 
experience I fail to see any necessity for a change in the form of the 
Russian government. It is thoroughly adapted to the wants of the 



I4 8 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

people. Under it they have attained a high degree of civilization, 
power and prosperity. Both the Government and people hold the 
United States in high esteem, so that it is not unreasonable to ask 
that Americans do not hastily judge them by the vaporings of their 
enemies, who, though actuated by different motives, all aim to injure 
Russia in the estimation of travelers by appeals to sentiment merely, in 
which the Tsar is pictured as a savage despot, who delights in torturing 
his subjects, and has no care or concern for their welfare. I have known 
the present Tsar — Alexander III. — almost since his infancy, and can 
assure you that he is one of the most accomplished, liberal and en- 
lightened monarchs that ever sat upon a throne ; a monarch who con- 
stantly studies the welfare of his people ; a monarch who is mild- 
mannered, gentle and kind, and who continualy strives to ascertain 
the needs of his subjects, and even now stands ready to adopt what- 
ever system of government would be most conducive to the welfare 
of Russia. For these qualities he is almost worshiped by the people, 
all reports to the contrary notwithstanding. 

' ' Russia is much larger in area than the United States, and has a 
population of nearly one hundred millions, made up of a great many 
different races and tribes, speaking as many languages, differing in 
habits, religion and modes of life, and in many cases having been 
enemies long ago. Any one acquainted with the history of its rapid 
rise and progress will readily acknowledge that the Romanoff dynasty 
has built substantially and solidly with disorganized and discordant 
material, carrying the people forward from the primitive to their 
condition to-da3^. And all this has been accomplished under the 
present form of government. Yet the Nihilistic cry, which seems to 
be most effective now and upon which they endeavor to justify their 
dastardly attempts upon the life of the Emperor, is his refusal to es- 
tablish a constitutional government. Americans may look upon such 
a demand as most reasonable ; but if they understand the situation 
and look at it from the standpoint of a patriotic Russian they will 
readily see their mistake. 

' ' There is no demand among the great mass of the Russian people 
for such a change. Suppose a constitutional government had been 
established before the liberation of the serfs. Could the much-la- 
mented Alexander II., with a stroke of his pen, have been able to 
free twenty-six millions ot them ? When we recall how much blood 
and treasure were expended to secure the freedom of only four mil- 
lions of people in the United States, we can form some idea of what 



OBJECTIONS TO A PARLIAMENT. 149 

the undertaking would have been in Russia. Then, instead of only 
a South, like we had, slavery extended over the whole empire, and 
the Parliament would have been fully controlled by the slave-owners. 
The aristocracy and landed proprietors would have been masters of 
the situation without fear of interference, and they would have taken 
care not to allow their slaves to be freed. This great act of the so- 
called despotic Government of Russia ought to outweigh nearly all 
the charges, true and untrue, made by its enemies. 

" But there are several other unassailable objections to a Russian 
Parliament. 

"Such a body, which must include representatives of all the 
classes, creeds and nationalities, would be a Babel of confusion and 
a Bedlam of conflicting interests. Imagine a parliamentary body 
composed of Poles, Germans, Cossacks, Tartars, Mohammedans, 
Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, Turkomans, Jews, Copts, and 
scores of other wholly dissimilar races and nationalities, bitterly 
opposed, antagonistic to each other. Could such a body legislate 
for a great empire like Russia? Would the same legislation an- 
swer for the Tartar and the Pole, for the Mohammedan and the Roman 
Catholic ? I believe not ; and I am confident that constitutional gov- 
ernment is not wanted in Russia except by a few idle dreamers and 
enthusiasts. 

' ' It will require very many years to educate the Russians up to 
the proper appreciation of constitutional government, even at the 
rapid rate of progress made under the Romanoff dynasty. And until 
this education is accomplished centralization of power is in the hands 
of the Tsar and his counselors ; and the judicious exercise of the 
same is the only governmental system capable of saving Russia from 
dismemberment and disruption. The division of the empire into 
provinces ruled directly by a Governor appointed by the Tsar and a 
Council selected from among the people thereof amounts to practical 
local self-government ; and the erection of each of the many distinct 
nationalities into separate provinces removes all the danger of a 
clashing of interests such as would be sure to result from any impe- 
rial parliamentary system. Another and by no means a lesser advan- 
tage to be derived from this system is the gradual and healthy assimi- 
lation which is going steadily forward, and which will surely result in 
breaking the tribal and racial barriers now operating to the disadvan- 
tage of the country. 

■ l The criminal law of Russia, of which we hear so much unfa- 



150 A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA. 

vorable and unjust criticism, is nothing more than the code of Napo- 
leon, with a few minor changes. The charge that the administration 
of the criminal law is harsh and tyrannical is a libel on. the judiciary 
of the empire, which has been the first of the great nations to abolish 
the death penalty. There is no capital punishment in Russia, except 
in aggravated cases of high treason, such as attempts on the life of 
the Tsar. But the impartiality with which the law is enforced is pro- 
verbial. Prince and peasant are equally punished for equal offenses ; 
and the rigor with which the former are handled for transgressions 
against the law is a matter of history. 

' ' We are told in glowing language that free speech and a free 
press are myths in Russia ; but we are seldom told the true reason 
why. We are not told that among an excitable and warlike people, 
such as are many of the Russians who retain much of their old tur- 
bulent spirit, the free press and free speech of demagogues and an- 
archists would produce chaos and bloody revolution, in which there 
would be no safety for life or property. Even in free America there 
is a limit to free speech and a free press, as was show.i in the convic- 
tion and execution of the Anarchists in Chicago and the imprison- 
ment of Herr Most in the city of New York. The aim of the Rus- 
sian Government is to curb this element ; and it goes without saying 
it is justified in taking an hundredfold more vigorous measures than 
are taken in America. Generally the seed of demagogy falls by the 
wayside or is dropped upon rocks in this Republic, where it withers 
and dies ; but in Russia it finds far more congenial climate and fruit- 
ful soil. 

' ' I insist that the Russian system of banishment to Siberia is far 
more humane than the English method of disposing of political pris- 
oners. How many Irishmen have languished and died, or were 
broken in health and spirit in English prison dungeons ! and yet we 
heard no great outcry against England. The situation in Russia to- 
day is certainly preferable to that created by English coercion in Ire- 
land. 

" The passport system, which is said to be so obnoxious to Amer- 
ican and European merchants and tourists, is really an absolute ne- 
cessity as an agency for the suppression of crime. The police and 
detective systems have not attained anything like the perfection en- 
joyed in America and elsewhere, while the demand for them is much 
greater. The wonderful skill by which the names and careers of 
criminals are all recorded and their movements watched is almost un- 



THE PASSPORT SYSTEM A NECESSITY. 15 1 

known in Russia. Every town and hamlet is not connected with its 
neighbors and with the great cities by electric currents, as is the case 
here. By the systematic use of all these advantages America and 
other equally favored nations are enabled to maintain law and order 
and the security of life and property without resort to the repressive 
measures needed in Russia. The best substitute for these advantages 
is the passport system ; and it is not only a necessity, but is demanded 
by the educated and law-abiding people of the empire as a means of 
self-preservation. Under its operation a thief or law-breaker of any 
description, or a band of them, cannot commit crime with impunity 
in one locality and then emigrate to another. Before getting the nec- 
essary passport the antecedents of every applicant are ascertained ; 
and the good are distinguished from the bad and treated accordingly. 
Very naturally the law-breakers and agitators regard this as a hard- 
ship ; but their fellow-citizens demand it as a safeguard against the 
machinations of both. The fee charged for the passport is made nec- 
essary by the system, which is expensive. It is justly regarded as 
one of the sources of revenue. 

"True, there is no compulsory education in Russia, and no ade- 
quate provision is made for the education of the masses ; but the fa- 
cilities afforded are fully as good as could be expected under the cir- 
cumstances. Russia is a new nation, comparatively speaking. She 
is not up to the age in educational matters, but is constantly striving 
to that end ; and even now every young man, be he rich or poor, can 
be educated at the public expense by making application to the local 
representative of the Government, according to custom. Free edu- 
cation is but a new departure. It originated in the West, and is mov- 
ing eastward. We know that for many years after the American war 
of the rebellion the educational system of the Southern States w T as 
deplorably defective and inadequate ; and even at this day some of 
the States make but feeble attempts to provide free education. Of 
course the liberation of the slaves was the reason. Therefore, before 
criticising the Russian educational system, it is but fair to recall the 
fact that she is dealing with twenty-six millions of recently-liberated 
serfs. 

"The utter ludicrousness of Stepniak's attempt to pose as the 
spokesman of the Russian people needs just a passing comment. 
Bakounin and Krapotkine, the originators of Anarchism and Nihilism, 
whose disciple he is, were banished from the Swiss Republic, and 
Krapotkine was imprisoned in France for advocating the form of gov- 



152 



A HOOSIKR IN RUSSIA, 



ernment they desire in Russia. Then the theories and doctrines 
which Stepniak would promulgate have been condemned by the tri- 
bunals of both the Republics last named, as dangerous to society and 
the security of life and property." 



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